Kijo and Majo: Their Story
by Mysteryguy12
Summary: 1000 years ago, there was a war. The souls of those who fought are still entombed in the present. A story of betrayal and conflicting ideals. Original story, well written. Check it out.
1. Prologue

So…I had this urge to write a fanfic about FFX-2 but I couldn't think of anything original until I got to the Bevelle underground. Ok…so there are these two accessories, the Wring and Bloodlust. You get them in the Bevelle underground and they have weird abilities, Majo's soul and Kijo's soul respectively. What these do to you is really quite trivial in the story but I found the ability names interesting. Who are Kijo and Majo? So…I'm writing a fic about it. Honestly? I don't expect many people to pay attention to it. It won't have all that many recognizable characters. Probably at least a couple will make appearances although this is more about the history of Spira and Zanarkand than anything else. The Machina War of 1000 years ago will be the basic setting. It will follow Kijo and Majo, two people through their part in the war. This should attract some people if only because it's pretty well written I think.

Disclaimer- Don't own any of the characters or places mentioned in the Prologue, we'll see about later though.

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Prologue

"Rikku! Hit it one more time!"

The young brunette waved emphatically from her place against the enormous wall. She wore miniscule formfitting jean shorts and covered her left leg with a long flowing piece of cloth. The cloth itself was colored like a spring morning, with light blues fading into white. It was held in place by a belt that wrapped around loosely with a satchel hanging off to the left. Her plain white shirt fit close, but loosely around her form, revealing a large emblem hanging from her front by a string. She jumped up and down impatiently but with a friendly and excited smile on her face. Her left hand was clenched tightly and, as if afraid to lose something important, she held it close to her body.

"Sure thing, Yunie!"

The sprightly blonde skipped cheerfully to a section of the dark gray tiles that rose up and gave way to a translucent dome. Her long orange and yellow scarf flapped crazily in her wake as she leapt upwards and landed on the raised dome of glass. For a moment, nothing happened, and then the ground sprang to light. Purple rose from the ground and illuminated the scantily clad girl. In the violet glow, her white cotton sleeves shone a bright copper and her hair radiated an odd dark blue.

In the center of the enormous room, a soft whirring of gears began to echo. The sound grew louder until it filled the ears of all those in the area. The enormous machinery, they had found out its name was the Gaol, creaked grudgingly into motion. The five enormous cylinders rotated once around the immense shaft of metal placed in the middle. They spun clockwise for a moment and then halted. One by one, each of the five cylinders dropped down or rose up on their own. The nearest one to the girl Rikku, fell downwards to become level with the walkway.

"Ok Rikku! That's great!" Yuna waved excitedly again with her right hand. Rikku waved back and hopped off the glowing platform. Quietly, it grew dim and gray once again. With the shut down of the light, the enormous Gaol whirred loudly and clanked to a noisy standstill. "Perfect!" Yuna laughed excitedly and jumped from her ledge against the wall. She landed with a small stumble atop one of the large cylinders. For a moment, she hopped on one foot to regain her balance and then placed the other one down experimentally.

"Be careful, Yunie!" Rikku yelled with anxiety.

Yuna tapped her boot against the cold metal and smiled brightly at the young blonde. "Don't worry about me! I'll be just fine!" And with that, she leapt deftly across the large metal beams that connected the cylinders to the rotating shaft. After climbing down perhaps twenty feet of treacherous metal machina, Yuna stood triumphantly on the ground level cylinder. "See, told you I'd be-" she began to say boastfully.

"Show us what you got," a cold and logical voice interrupted. Yuna's shoulders drooped in disappointment. She glanced at the stoic silver haired sphere-hunter and sighed dramatically. Despite her own feelings, it was Rikku that spoke up in her defense.

"Paaaa-aaaaiine! Yuna and I worked really hard to get those!" Rikku whined annoyingly. For a moment, she danced anxiously on her toes around the silent girl and then tugged affectionately on her black leather sleeve. "Let Yuna do things her way okay?"

Yuna smiled at her friend's attempt to defend her. Rikku cared for her a lot. She was lucky to have friends like that. Even so, she turned to Paine and said with a cheerful voice, "You're never one to drag things out, are you Paine?" Paine's lips twitched slightly with the effort of withholding a smile. She shook her head slowly. "Well that's alright…we should get down to business after all." Paine nodded wisely.

"So show us the goods, Yuna," she said with a warm smile.

Yuna twisted her toe against the ground and rocked back and forth like a small child. She smiled shyly and then thrust out her hand to reveal two colorful rings lying in her palm. The two accessories glowed with opposing colors and shone brightly in her hand.

"Wow!" Rikku leaned in close to the treasures with shining eyes. "These look super-rare!"

Yuna grinned widely, thoroughly enjoying her friend's reaction. "Well I would hope so! After all the trouble we went through to get them!"

Once again, Pain interjected a fun-killing suggestion to the exciteable pair's private party. "You should have Shinra scan those to see what they can do for us."

Rikku drooped visibly and put her hands on her hips indignantly. She straightened up and raised a finger to poke it towards Paine in a pout. For a moment it looked as though she were going to say something insulting but she was interrupted by the buzz of her headset. All three girls paused and listened as their earpieces purred softly with static. Then, without warning, a voice broke through.

"Two steps ahead of you, Paine." The overconfident voice of a small Al Bhed boy spoke into their heads.

"You sneaky little kid," Paine said with mock annoyance. "When did you scan them?"

The smug boy let out a small snort that clearly said, 'isn't it obvious?' After gloating to himself for a moment, he spoke into their headsets again. "As soon as Yuna took them out of the chests, of course."

""So what'd you find out, Shinra?" Yuna said, hoping to intervene between the mounting tensions of the Al Bhed and Paine.

Shinra sounded disappointed that his chance to gloat had been taken away, but quickly recovered. "Well, the brighter ring, the one you got first, is called Wring. With a W." the three girls glanced automatically at the accessories in Yuna's hand. it became apparent fairly quickly which ring Shinra was speaking about. The leftmost ring shone bright, cheerful colors and occasionally turned completely white. Yuna reached for it and put in her right hand.

"And the other one?" Paine asked with interest. The remaining ring glowed with dark colors, mainly a deep brick red an dark purple although occasionally reverting back to a solid black.

"This one's perfect for you, Paine." Shinra chuckled for a moment and then continued. "The other one is called Bloodlust."

Rikku choked down a laugh and Yuna, failing to do so, covered her hand with her mouth. Paine's fists clenched and she turned her face skyward and yelled into her mouthpiece. "You come down here and say that you little shrimp!" There was a long pause while Yuna regained her composure with a helping glare from Paine. They waited for a few more seconds before Shinra spoke again.

"See what I mean."

This time, neither of the girls could control themselves and they both fell to the ground in heaps of laughter. Paine seethed quietly and then smiled genuinely. She let out a sarcastic "Ha ha," and then said to her companions. "Alright…get up. It's not _that_ funny." Once her two partners had regained their balance and wiped the tears from their eyes, she spoke into her headset. "And what about their abilities? Anything useful?"

There was a long pause and then Shinra coughed lightly. "Ok…so I ran a couple tests to make sure that this wasn't just a fluke, but I came up with the same thing every time." Yuna and Rikku looked at each other with interest. Paine continued to stare at the ground, listening intently. "No matter what I do, I get the same thing."

"Just tell us already!" Rikku exploded in annoyance.

Shinra let out a surprised noise that sounded an awful lot like a 'harrumph' and said, "Don't rush me. I'm just trying to relay the facts." This time it was Rikku who let out the annoyed sound effect. After her own disgruntled noise, she pulled down one eyelid and stuck her tongue out, presumably in the direction of their ship, the Celsius. "In any case," Shinra continued with a sardonic tone. "They've both got abilities that have never before been seen in an accessory. "For example, Wring has several stat reductions related to your physical being coupled with a drastic increase in your offensive magic capabilities." The trio mulled it over in their heads for a moment and then nodded in unison, each coming to drastically different conclusions.

"As for the Bloodlust accessory," Shinra forged ahead in his explanation. "It decreases your magical stats to near uselessness and really hits hard against your defense and health but it will raise your physical strength up to an astounding 60." Once again, the three girls rolled the idea over in their heads.

"Have one of us in White Mage dress, and another one ready for backup just in case and that could be really useful," muttered Paine in thought. Then, shaking herself from her reverie she looked upwards and asked, "Any special properties? Like status proofs or anything?"

"Not quite," Shinra said gravely. For a moment it seemed that he was struggling with what to say. Finally, after a substantial pause, he sighed deeply. "The only abilities I've managed to get a hold of…this is what I was talking about before…are as such: Wring has the special property called Majo's Soul, and Bloodlust has the special property of Kijo's Soul."

Once again, the girls took a moment to ponder the words of their Al Bhed technician. The new abilities echoed in their minds as they slowly considered what they meant. All at once, they let out a defeated yet contemplative sigh.

"Well what does that mean?" the three asked in unison. There was a long pause on the other end of the line. Shinra remained silent for a long time, breathing softly into the earpieces of the three friends.

"I'm just a kid," he said simply, and the line went dead.

The trio stared at each other and then at the high ceiling, then returned their gazes to each other once more.

"That little brat!" exploded Rikku. "He got my hopes up for nothing! Thinks he knows everything. Just wait 'til we get back to the Celsius. I'll give him a piece of my mind!" Rikku pranced about angrily, jumping and swinging her arms in a small contained rage.

"Whatever." Paine stepped forward and held out a hand toward Yuna. "If he won't tell us, we need to try it ourselves." She pressed her open palm forward with meaning and said, "Gimme Bloodlust, I'll give it a test run the next time we run into fiends." Yuna handed the darkly glowing ring to Paine and began to pocket the other accessory.

"Wait a minute!" Rikku leapt forth and planted her hands on her hips in defiance. "If Paine gets to try one then so do I!" She thrust a hand forward expectantly. Yuna smiled sweetly and then put the ring in Rikku's small hand. The girl held it up with widened eyes. "It's soooooo pretty!" she let out a loud laugh and pocketed the accessory with a wide grin.

"Are you _Dullwings_ about done yet?" A tall and irritable blonde gestured widely with her enormous fan. "I'm tired of waiting!"

"Cool your jets Leblanc," Rikku said wearily. She shook her head, bright yellow hair falling in clumps over her shoulders. Once again, she repeated the indignant gesture of placing her hands on her hips and spitting her tongue out at the flustered woman and her two cohorts.

"Well I never!" gasped Leblanc in horror.

"You did now," interjected Paine. "Let's get going Yuna, we want to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible." Yuna looked gravely at her somber friend and nodded. She had forgotten exactly where they were. There was a lot of work to be done and no one else was going to do it for her. Taking off at a trot, she waved stoically toward her companions.

"Paine's right everyone, we should get going now." Despite complaints from Leblanc and her followers, they all set off further into the Bevelle underground.

The journey was fairly uneventful and strangely enough, not a single fiend appeared before reaching the very bottom floor of the maze. Finally, after traveling through the monotonous and mechanical underground and solving several riddles of the landscape, Paine triumphantly lifted a glowing sphere from a hidden chest hidden in the mist.

"That's the Dark Knight Dressphere." Shinra's voice entered through the electronic hum of their earpiece. "Lot's of strength and defense, good magic as well. Really the only downside is the speed and the issue that most of the attacks involve hurting the user."

Rikku shook with the thought of sacrificing herself to take down a fiend and Paine shook her head at her squeamish friend. "Sounds useful enough. You figure out anything about those two accessories we found before." There was a long pause as the static crackled in their ears. Then there was a click and the line went dead. "Thought so," grumbled Paine.

The group paused for a moment to heal themselves at the floating sphere nearby and proceeded across the raised platforms. Upon reaching the end of the misty abyss and finding themselves on solid ground once again, Yuna caught the faint sound of footsteps from around the corner. Readying themselves silently, the trio waited as the footsteps grew closer. The sound echoed and bounced off the walls.

One by one, two booted feet came into view from behind the turn in the hallway. From behind the corner stepped a dark skinned man with sky blue hair. His clothes were the ever-ostentatious yet traditional clothing of the followers of Yevon. Baralai, Praetor of New Yevon stood before Yuna and her friends, barring their way. He raised an eyebrow in confusion and then shook his head slightly, running his hand through his soft blue locks."The Gullwings? I was wondering who was there." He paused, waiting for Yuna to respond. She remained silent, hand placed tensely on the handle of her gun and stared distrustfully toward the soft voiced man. He sighed lightly and smiled with a pained look toward the trio. "You don't have to tell me. I know why you've come. You're here to destroy the weapon that threatens all Spira: Vegnagun. Am I right? If it could be destroyed we would have done so long ago. But Vegnagun must not be touched. Neither you nor Nooj seem to understand that." He had a pleading look in his eye. Yuna remained quiet, trying to wrap her mind around Baralai's involvement as well as Nooj's. To her relief, Paine stepped forward.

"You talked to Nooj?"

Baralai's eyes glanced downward from the harshness of the girl's stare. "He…can not be trusted."

Rikku took a step forward and pointed an accusing finger toward the praetor. "And you can be?"

The question surprised the man, drawing his eyes upwards to face the trio once again. "Touché, yes I suppose Vegnagun has brought that distrust upon itself. At any rate, you need not interfere." His normally kind eyes hardened with his voice and he added forcefully, "Leave Vegnagun to me."

Yuna finally gathered herself and said quietly, "What are you planning to do?"

Baralai gently shook his head and pulled a small pole from concealment behind his back. He brought the weapon to his front and held it forward. With a nod it extended outwards, reaching the approximate length of a combat staff. With a dead smile falling into place on his lips, he said quietly, " The only thing I can do: Keep those who would seek to harm Vegnagun away. Please leave."

Siliently, Paine unsheathed hew own weapon, a large sword, and turned to her companions. "Yuna. Rikku. I'm going."

Baralai's cold expression softened and his features screwed up in a look of emotional turmoil. He let out a long agonized sigh and called to the girl. "Paine!"

Without a word, Paine reached into her pocket and took out the small darkly glowing accessory. Without taking her eyes from Baralai, she slipped the ring slowly onto her finger. For a moment, Paine stood motionless. Her face froze, her fingers trembled slightly causing the tip of her blade to wave spasmodically in the air in front of her. Then, without any warning at all, Paine stumbled backward, raised her head to the sky and let out a terrible howl.

The awful scream continued for several seconds before ending with a high bloodthirsty note. Paine's face lowered back to ground level to stare madly into the Praetor's eyes. She was breathing deeply, each breath ragged and long. She growled softly and twitched angrily. Her hand closed around the hilt of her blade and raised it, as if testing the weight for the first time. She bobbed up and down in an almost animalistic way.

"Paine?" Yuna stepped forward in worry. She reached out a gentle hand to touch her friend's shoulder. "Are you alr-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Paine ducked under the oncoming caress and sped across the dark gray tiles. Her sword clanged loudly as it dragged down the hallway towards Baralai. The praetor, taken by surprise, barely had time to raise his weapon in defense before the girl was on him. The blade whipped forward and the connection of blade on staff echoed loudly through the dark hallway. The strength behind the blow, coupled with Baralai's lack of preparation, caused him to lift from the ground and go flying into the wall at the curve.

He hit the wall with a dull thud and coughed loudly as the wind was driven from his lungs. He fell forward with a gasp but recovered quickly and managed to block the next flurry of strikes from Paine who had already closed the distance. The ferocity of her attack continued as she broke through the praetor's guard once again. He was sent careening across the tiles, now weaponless and streaming blood from a cut above his eyelid.

Yuna watched in horror as her friend bore down on the now defenseless leader of New Yevon. Paine struck again and again at the helpless man as he dodged and rolled desperately to escape her. "Paine!" Yuna screamed loudly, but it was clear that her words weren't reaching her companion. "Rikku…is there anything we can do to stop her that won't cause her any harm?" She shook with fear as she asked Rikku the question.

The young Al Bhed, thoroughly horrified by the scene shook her head to clear it and then began to rummage through her pockets. From behind her, Baralai let out a scream of agony and Yuna heard blood splatter against the tiles. Refusing to look she instead focused on the blonde and said urgently, "Hurry Rikku!"

Rikku was crying now but through her tears she still found the object she was looking for. Without pausing to explain, she removed the small device from her satchel and hurled it toward the rapidly approaching girl. The object was a grenade and as it neared Paine, she turned to see it and with a crazy look in her eyes, raised her blade to cut the oncoming explosive in half. Despite the defensive maneuver, He fellthe grenade still detonated, surrounding Paine and Baralai in a white flash followed by dark black smoke.

Rikku turned toward Yuna and yelled with a panicked voice, "Yunie! Get Baralai, I'll steal the ring from Paine!" Yuna couldn't think straight but instead nodded dumbly and rushed forth, gathering up the fallen Praetor in her arms and leaping out of the black cloud. A bone shuddering roar exploded from inside the dark smoke but it was soon cut short by the sound of a brief struggle and then Rikku diving out of the black mist with the small glowing accessory between her two fingers.

The smoke took several seconds to dissipate and before it did, Paine stumbled out of it, waving her arms in front of her and stumbling. After walking for several feet, she stopped and called out, "Yuna? Rikku? You guys there?"

Yuna turned to Rikku and gave her a questioning look. Rikku smiled proudly in return and said simply, "blind bomb."

Shaking her head at her friend's energetic reply and speedy recovery, Yuna trotted over to her blind companion. "Paine? It's Yuna." She reached out gently and placed a hand on The silver haired girl's shoulder. "Are you ok?"

Paine remained motionless but reached up a shaking hand toward the one placed on her shoulder. "Yea…Yuna? What happened just now?" Her question, seemingly strange did not surprise Yuna as much as she had expected. "Did Baralai pull some kind of trick?"

"I'm not sure…I really can't say what happened…I think it has to do with that ring, Bloodlust. You..." she paused to think of the right word to use. "Went crazy."

Paine frowned apologetically and was about to say something when the electrical static returned once again to their ears. Yuna rummaged through her satchel and pulled out some eyedrops, applying them to her friend's blind eyes while she waited for the signal to pick up. After several seconds of static, Shinra's voice once again broke through the white noise.

"You got that right Yuna. The madness was due to the accessory. Good job Rikku for figuring that out so fast." Rikku swelled visibly with pride. "If you hadn't interceded, Baralai might be dead now." Paine shuddered as she rubbed her eyes. They streamed tears due to the introduction the blindness antidote. "Those accessory's abilities are a lot more potent than I had originally believed."

"So what exactly are they?" Paine asked darkly.

Shinra paused for a moment and said, "I'm just a kid."

"I've had enough of that you little piece of-" Paine began to scream angrily but was cut off by a new voice over the intercom.

"Hey, guys, Buddy reporting in." Buddy was another Al Bhed who helped with navigation on the Celsius. His calm voice silenced Paine mid-rant. "Shinra may just be a kid, but we have someone else up here visiting who's much more than that. He said he might be able to shed some light on exactly who 'Kijo' and 'Majo' are."

"Oh?" Yuna, interested in the new development, listened intently as the line buzzed slightly from the exchange of the microphone on the Celsius. On the other end, someone cleared their throat.

"Lady Yuna?" A wise although somewhat confused voice of an old man resonated over the line. "Oh dear…I can't remember the last time I used a machina as personal as this…my old bones aren't quite used to it."

"Maechen?" Yuna, surprised and somewhat confused, yelped into her mouth piece.

"Erm…yes," the slow and intelligent voice rolled into her ears like an old song. "Oh dear…so odd using this thing." He cleared his throat and spoke again, this time with excitement in his voice. "It seems that you are seeking information about Kijo and Majo of Zanarkand. Is this true Lady Yuna?" Yuna giggled at the man's excited tone and replied that she was doing just that. She was surprised that Maechen had mentioned Zanarkand but allowed him to continue without interruptions.

"Would you like to hear the story?" asked the old man with gusto. Yuna and the other girls gave their approval. "It is not a short one." Yuna once again gave her support to the man. Paine remained silent, staring blankly at her open palms. She was wondering what she could have done to Baralai if Rikku had not intervened.

"Yes." Paine suddenly straightened up. Her shoulders squared back and she looked skyward. "Tell us everything, I want to know what that feeling was about."

Maechen chuckled quietly. "It's been quite some time since anyone took such an interest in my stories. The feeling you felt must have been quite strong if you wish so adamantly to hear this old man ramble on." Yuna was about to protest to his self deprecation when he interrupted with a gruff barking laugh. "You were wearing Bloodlust…am I correct?" Paine nodded silently. "That would contain Kijo's soul, right little boy?" Shinra protested at being called a little boy but grudgingly agreed. "Kijo…Kijo of the Broken Bonds they called him by the end." He sighed in his reminiscence and then spoke again into the microphone. "But I am rambling. Let me begin where any story should, at the beginning. It just so happens that the beginning of this tale takes place 1000 years ago during the Machina War. The place? Well…it begins in Zanarkand…"

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So what do you think? Is it good? Is it bad? What needs work? Should I continue? I was kinda just doing this in order to get it off my mind so I can continue with my other Kingdom Hearts fiction Angel Memories. I guess if it gets a lot of reviews or I still have it in mind…I'll continue? Otherwise this might just be where it ends. Knowing me I'd probably feel obliged to continue with just one review. In any case…I like the storyline…I think its original. Later.


	2. Stability in Small Things

Alright…so the first chapter is up now, not as long as the prologue, but the prologue was only long cause I didn't want it to be two parts. From here on, the story will only take place in the past, I don't think I'll switch back to the present with Paine and Maechen and everyone. Also, just so that you know, this story will have a lot to do with Shuyin and Lenne and how I figure I can weave Kijo and Majo into their story. I've got a few things planned out but I'd love to know what you guys want to see or what you like that's already there.

Disclaimer: Erm…I'm honestly not sure what I own in this fic. Do I own Kijo and Majo? I don't own Zanarkand or Jecht. Whatver…for safety's sake, I don't own anything that Square already owns. So there.

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Chapter 1

Stability in Small Things

A bright blue glow lit the stadium, brightening the water until it was almost too difficult to look at. The crackling of electricity was the only sound that could be heard in the wide arena. The stands were dead silent as they watched the roiling mass of water. Thousands upon thousands of eyes watched as the white and blue ball broke out from the chaos of the players inside the sphere. Thousands of knuckles whitened as their owners gripped their seats in anticipation. Time slowed nearly to a halt and it seemed as though the athletes in the water were hardly moving at all. Above it all, an enormous board displayed the score and time. Two to two. 4 minutes and 32 seconds. It seemed like an eternity before the clock could reach 33.

"Come on…"

A lone man whispered his encouragement from the stands quietly. He strained his eyes through his binoculars, focusing on the one man who could win it all. Only moments ago, one of his teammates had rushed the line, only to be thrown back by a brilliant defensive maneuver by his opposition. In a last ditch attempt, he had rid himself of the ball in his hands. Now it was loose in the swirling waters, floating slowly toward the center of the arena.

"Come one…just a little more and you can reach it first!"

Keeping his voice low, he murmured nearly silent support to his favorite player. Inside the aqua sphere, four hands stretched out desperately trying to grab the small blue and white ball. Four individuals gave their final burst of speed to reach the prize and assure themselves the victory, but only one man would be able to claim it for himself.

One finger, then another, then three more. A single hand closed over the rough edge of the blitzball. The tan arm instantly retracted and the long haired man smiled widely.

"YEA! GO JECHT!" The man in the stands leapt to his feet, signaling the end of the tension. The stadium roared to life with a mix of ecstatic cheers and gruesome threats. The score board above the sphere beeped loudly. 4 minutes and 45 seconds left now. The lone blitzer dove and evaded, losing himself in the water, becoming more like a fish than a man. With skill honed by years of practice, he evaded his three contestants for the ball and soared toward the opposite goal. When he was in range, he brought his arm back, ball in hand, and prepared to make the final shot.

Out of no where, the last line of defense swam into view. They took their place in front of the attacker with grim expressions on their faces. No matter what, they could not let him pass.

"Use the Sublimely Magnificent Jecht Shot Mark III!" The ecstatic blitz fan screamed as loud as he could, sweating furiously at the passion of the match. Around him, a chorus of the shot name, rippled through the crowd. In the water, Jecht smiled widely and waved a reassuring hand. In a flash, the ball left his hand and smacked loudly into one of the defender's jaws. Shocked, the remaining defender glanced momentarily at his companion in worry. The blitzball, having rebounded back to the attacker, was immediately smashed back at the distracted guard, knocking him into a daze.

The screams and cheers were almost overwhelming, shaking the arena and causing the water to ripple loudly. Jecht shot upwards, spinning swiftly. The ball lazily arced up to meet him. The man was creating a small whirlpool in the sphere. The opposing team frantically swam to intercept the ball despite the impossibility of their endeavor. The clocked ticked ahead, racing the rapidly spinning man. 4 minutes and 56 seconds. For only a split second, the whirling man slowed, contorting his body and throwing all his momentum into his leg. With a last burst of speed, he whipped it forward and kicked mightily at the oncoming ball.

"Kijo!" The enthusiast in the stands turned away from the sphere too see another man, tall and dressed in the traditional black mage robes. "I thought I might find you h-"

The approaching man was silenced by a loud buzzer followed by another even louder beep. Silence crushed the voice out of every occupant of the dome. Kijo, who had diverted his attention from the game, turned back to the water as fast as he could. It felt like his head was encased in sap. As his eyes finally fell upon the large watery sphere, a deafening roar exploded in the stadium. The seats shook with the stomps and cheers and curses and raw emotion of thousands of men and women. Tears sprang willingly to the eyes of the fans and overjoyed embraces were exchanged as well as the enraged exchange of fists.

"I…missed…it?" Kijo fell back into his seat. His eyes felt like stone and his limbs were as heavy as lead. He slumped in his chair, nearly falling into the aisle. He felt hollow and heavy, crushed and battered, broken and defeated. A hand that felt heavy and hot came to rest on his shoulder.

"Kijo?" The man standing above him was tall. His clothes were a deep purple with swirling red designs that trailed into the deep yellow cuffs. Silver hair fell in gentle strands over his face and cascaded onto his back. His dark red eyes shone with concern for the fallen fan. "Are you ok?" Cautiously he shook the motionless man in the seat. When he received no response, he continued on with a sigh. "I figured I'd find you at the game. Don't you realize that we don't have time for this? There is an extremely important meeting scheduled in Central _in ten minutes_!" He shook his head in amazement. "I don't understand how you can be so…irresponsible…when your country is at war, Kijo." With a meaningful tug, he pulled Kijo to his feet. "Now let's get going. We're already late."

"Do you know what you…just did?" Kijo wobbled slightly on his unsteady feet. His head was spinning and he felt like he was in some kind of daze. With a stone expression on his face, he turned to the man who had interrupted him. "Do you realize…what I just missed?" He took a menacing step forward. "Do you comprehend the importance of this event?"

"Kijo, it's just a blitzball ga-" Kijo's face twitched violently and he grabbed his companion by the scruff of his neck and pulled him close, effectively interrupting the other man.

"It's just a what?" he asked, his voice laced with venom. "Were you going to say that it's…_just a game_!" Violently he shook the black mage. "You never understand these things! You're always so goddamned interested in politics that you never understand what the people want! This was the Championship. The Championship! And I…I _missed_ the final shot!" Angrily he thrust the man away from himself and brushed his hand on his sleeve. "You know what? You suck, Majo."

"Oh come on." Majo rolled his eyes and straightened his robes. "I'd hardly call it a 'Championship,' we weren't even allowed to play against other countries. It's Abes vs. Abes. Not as good as it gets." Then, he turned a kind face toward the pouting man. "Look, I know you like to watch Jecht play…but there are more important matters here. Let's head out, I'll buy you a souvenir blitzball or something. We can get it signed by Jecht when we're done with the meeting alright?"

Grudgingly, Kijo came out of his pout. With a suspicious tone, he asked, "Get it signed? You can do that?"

"Yea, you can even meet him if you want, though I heard he's a bit of a dick."

Placing his arms on his hips with indignation, Kijo prodded Majo in the chest and replied, "Jecht is not a dick! He's awesome!"

"Alright alright…geez…why don't you get a room." Kijo gasped and crossed his arms. "I'm just messin with you man, seriously though, we gotta get going. I got transportation and everything; we'll only be ten minutes late if we take the express route."

"Yea, ok," mumbled Kijo, and the two set off toward the exit. Upon leaving the dome, they were immediately met with bright neon lights from every direction. In spite of the small sliver of moon hanging above the city, it was lit up as bright as day. All around the pair, enormous billboards and electric signs glowed abrasively, hanging from enormous buildings. It was truly an epic sight. Kijo however, stared at the ground and thrust his hands into his pockets sulkily. He kicked briefly at the ground before Majo gave him a sharp look.

"We don't have time for you to be dawdling around in a sulk."

"Oh shut the hell up, Majo," he replied angrily. "I'm coming. Don't rush me." And sure enough, Kijo sped up and passed Majo in few annoyed strides. Taking the lead, he straightened his shirt with a grunt and hurried to the small vehicle at the edge of the street. When he reached the machine he pointed to it and grunted, "This it?"

"Yea," Majo frowned slightly and walked to the other side, hopping into the driver's seat. "You're…really upset about this aren't you?"

"Finally caught on, did you?"

"But it's not just the game is it?"

As Majo turned the power on and started off down the road, silence settled inside the small vehicle. Kijo stared out the side window while Majo looked over the dashboard intently. With a sigh, Kijo drummed his fingers impatiently on the window sill.

"No, it's not just the game," he mumbled quietly. "Or…rather, it is just the game," his forehead creased while he tried to wrap his mind around the thought. Majo remained silent, focusing on the road ahead and making the turn into the express lane. If Kijo was going to tell him personal matters, it was best for him to remain silent until he was finished. "I mean…like you said, our country's at war, right?" Majo nodded quietly, applying the brake slightly as another machine pulled in front of him. "And…I know that I'm going out there to fight; gonna be right on the front lines. So…" he paused and ran his finger over the glass of the window. "I dunno…I just want to experience all these things one last time, you know?"

Majo smiled warmly and said quietly, "Yea, I know."

"The little stuff, the mundane things. Watchin' the Zanarkand Abes, buying something in a Zanarkand store, seeing a songstress perform in Zanarkand, drinking in a Zanarkand pub. Just the small things, stuff that…I might never get to do again if I…you know…die out there. Nothing big, nothing I haven't done before. Nothing I can't get easily, just…the little details. I wanna be woken up by my neighbor's jerk kid playin' his music too loud again. Cause you just…start taking it all for granted until you lose 'em. The little stuff. The things that make your life stable."

"You were pretty high up in the stands today," Majo's comment seemed to unlock something else Kijo.

"Yea…" Kijo smiled gravely and made a sour face. "When I tried to give in my ticket, some bastard tried to lead me to the executive box." He let his finger fall from the glass and into his lap. "He was all like, 'Oh! Kijo _sir_, wouldn't you like a better seat than this? I can arrange something for you right away _sir._' I mean… come on. _Sir_, for crying out loud. So he ran off and I just slipped inside and sat in the seat that _I had bought_. It's stuff like that…just…makes things seem stable, right?"

"You should become an orator, you know that?" Majo smiled mischeviously toward his friend who looked up, bewildered.

"Aah shut the hell up you bastard, what do you know!" he let loose a light punch to the mage's shoulder which caused the vehicle to swerve dangerously to the side. Majo shouted and straightened the steering wheel. Once the vehicle was under control, he let go of the wheel with one hand and pointed towards the hem of Kijo's sleeve.

"Uh-oh, looks like your sleeve is on _**fire**!_" Tiny red flames exploded from Kijo's sleeve who yelped and shook it violently, rubbing it furiously against the seat and eventually smothering the tiny flame.

"Magical bastard."

"Knucklehead"

"MP whore."

"Meat shield."

For a second, Majo's eyes left the road to meet Kijo's already established glare. They eyed each other for a moment, growling softly before Kijo's lips twitched involuntarily into straining smile. Like an enormous wave washing over him, Kijo was overtaken by a roaring laughter and was soon followed by Majo who returned his attention to the road just in time to avoid running into the guard rail. When Kijo, stomach finally stopped hurting from the heaves of laughter, he straightened himself up and smiled widely.

Majo looked at him out of the corner of his eye and smiled back. "You broke first, again."

"What's the score then?"

"Like 56 to 0."

Kijo laughed again. "I'll get you one of these times!" when his giggling died down, he returned his gaze to the window and watched the tall buildings rush by. After several minutes in silence, he sighed deeply and turned to Majo with warm smile on his face.

"Thank you, Majo."

Majo let out a sigh and turned away from the road to look his friend in the eye. "Kijo…what are you being so serious for?"

"For being something stable…thank you."

Majo turned back to the road ahead and with a good natured smile said, "Aw come on, stop being so emotional, you're gonna make me cry and I won't be able to see the road."

Kijo smacked his hands down on the dashboard and let out a loud bark of laughter. "You'll never change, will you Majo?"

Majo smiled, "Not if I have anything to do with it!"

Kijo pushed a strand of hair away from his face and looked through the windshield. Up ahead, the building everyone knew as 'central' loomed. Kijo smiled and turned his attention briefly toward Majo. "Good," he whispered. "That's perfect."

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Ok…so one thing I'm a bit worried about. Did Tidus and Jecht actually exist ever? Is that clear and I just haven't noticed? I would really appreciate someone explaining this to me at some point. The history of Spira is cool but hard to follow so if someone can explain it to me or point me toward someone who can I would be grateful. I don't wanna step on any toes here. I assume that Jecht did exist and why shouldn't he be alive around the time of the Machina War?

Oh! Also…did Zanarkand really have that much Machina way back when? Or was it Bevelle that had the Machina? Did both sides have summoners? Or just Zanarkand. Once again, I would appreciate someone explaining at least those key points.

Thanks a bunch to jen0va (that is a zero right?) and thewierdperson for reviews. I appreciate it very much. Hope you keep reading.


	3. Formality Blitz

So it's been forever since I've looked at this fic and now that I did again, I like the way it looks. I still like the concept. It's more of a pet project than anything else…sort of going to focus on Kijo and Majo although, as you'll see, there are going to be others involved that you do know of. If you're not interested in the whole Kijo's soul and Majo's soul thing, it should at least be kinda neat to read a story about the machina war. Enjoy.

I disclaim that which I do not own.

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Chapter 2

Formality Blitz

Majo slowed down and turned off of the highway and into the road that led up to the checkpoint before Central. Gradually, he pulled up to the barrier and leaned out of the window. A young man in uniform with a bright face jogged up to him. He saluted. "Ah, Majo, sir," he said cheerfully. Kijo sneered in the passenger's seat.

"Tch…_sir_."

Majo glanced tiredly at his passenger but turned to the guard and said, "Majo and Kijo reporting in for the war plan meeting."

The boy saluted again which made Kijo snort loudly. "Of course sirs, would you mind giving the password?"

Before Majo could say anything, Kijo leaned across the car and placed his hands on the edge of the window. "As a matter of fact, I would mind. So how about you just let us in, you know it's us."

The soldier blanched and his eyes flicked back and forth trying to figure out what to do. Majo sighed and pointed at the cuff of Kijo's pant leg. "**Fire**." Kijo pulled away from the window with a yelp and leaned down to beat the slowly growing flames of his pants. "I apologize for commander Kijo's rudeness. The password is 'songstress,' isn't it?"

The soldier sighed with relief and saluted again. "Yes sir Majo, sir. Please, go ahead."

Majo nodded and saluted the boy. "Of course, thank you soldier." Then he pressed onto the gas and drove through the checkpoint into the front of Central.

Kijo sat up in his seat and growled softly. "You know he probably had a name." Majo raised an eyebrow curiously. "You called him 'soldier.' I doubt his parents named him 'soldier.' You could have asked him what his name was."

Majo sighed. "But that's not how procedure goes here."

Kijo slapped the window angrily. "Forget procedure! We all might die tomorrow and we're hung up on titles and positions! If you ask me, it's absurd." He grimaced. "I don't know why you encourage it."

"It's just how things are done around here."

"Well I don't like it."

"We're here, get out."

Majo opened the door and nodded to a nearby soldier ready to take the vehicle and place it where it belonged when they left. Kijo shook his head and got out of the car. There was always something to avoid talking about the formality of things. He frowned. Another boring meeting, he thought.

They didn't need to be boring…it's just that all the formality and the titles and arrangements made the whole procedure so very long and obtuse that he nearly fell asleep by the end of them.

"Don't fall asleep this time," Majo said as he opened the front door of the large capital building.

"I never fell asleep!" Kijo yelled, jogging to catch up. He grimaced again. Majo would change pretty soon. He always did when they got into this building. He stopped being 'Majo' and started being 'Majo, the S.M.T.A. (Supervisor to Magic Tactics and Application) of the Zanarkand forces' or the 'Supervisor' for short.

Kijo hated the Supervisor. He hated him because he bought into the formality of the system and the obtuseness of all the decisions. He hated him because it wasn't the Majo he knew who occasionally set fire to articles of clothing that he himself was wearing.

And what was he? Kijo ignored a salute from a passing soldier. He was Kijo of course. The right question is what was he supposed to be? 'Kijo, commander in chief of field activity and special ops unit.' They hadn't given him a series of letters like Majo. He was a little grateful for that at least.

The pair rounded a corner and found two large doors at the end of the hallway. The meeting room. Kijo sighed gruffly. It was a room full of people who he didn't like…and who didn't like him. He disliked them because of the formality, and they hated him because he refused to conform to the system. But he was good at his job…too good. And that's why they kept him around.

"You ready to go?"

Kijo shook himself from his straying thoughts and smiled a thin, mirthless smile. "Heh…yea I guess."

"You know," Majo said slowly. "Things would go a lot smoother for you if you did what they tell you."

"Yea? Well things would go a lot smoother for _everyone_ if they would cut out all the bullshit they wrap everything in."

Majo sighed. He knew his friend wouldn't change. It was a shame…he hated to see him so upset. The black mage shrugged, stepped forward and knocked on the door. "Supervisor Majo and commander Kijo reporting, we apologize for our lateness."

A slot opened at about eye level. After a moment, there was a grunt and the door slowly opened. "Come in and take your seats. The meeting is already underway." The pair slid past the sentry and into the dimly lit conference hall. In the very center of the room, a large table with a projected map rose up from the ground. All around, large leather chairs lined several tiers that lined the wall.

Once inside, the large doors closed again and the two began walking in opposite directions to their own respective seats. When he reached his seat, Kijo sat down and stretched slightly, pumping some blood into his stiff limbs. Majo seated himself quietly and looked down at the floor below.

Standing near the projected map, a man with sparse gray hair and sunken eyes looked up at the black mage with calculated annoyance. "Supervisor Majo, we would request that you make more of an effort to get to these meetings on time." The mage nodded quickly. He cleared his throat and was about to speak when Kijo spoke up from across the room.

"It's not his fault. He was just trying to take responsibility for me." He laughed gruffly. "Without him, I might not have been here for another half hour."

The balding man sighed irritably and turned to face Kijo. "Commander Kijo, I was not addressing you. Please hold your peace until you are addressed." He turned back to Majo. "In any case, I thank you for brining along the Commander, but next time, regardless of reason I expect you to be on time."

"Of course, sir." Majo bowed his head. Kijo grunted angrily from his own place on the wall of seats.

"And Commander…I stress once again that it is imperative for you to attend these meetings regularly. Your expertise is of high value to us."

Kijo snorted, "Yeah alright." A deathly silence descended over the meeting room. Kijo's eyes flicked around the room and with a sigh he leaned forward, bowed his head and mumbled. "I mean, yes, sir."

The man on the floor kept his gaze centered on Kijo for a moment and then turned it back to the three dimensional projection above the table. "As I was saying, I think we all understand that once Bevelle is taken, the war will effectively be won." Around the circle, there was a wave of nodding heads. "The question is which route, or routes are to be taken.

"Unfortunately, our routes are very limited. Currently, the quickest path is to traverse Mt. Gagazet and proceed through the Great Plains." At that, a small light went on in one of the booths. The man turned to it and nodded. "Yes?"

A short, muscled man stood up. "What about the Ronso? They are not known to let people through their mountain easily."

The man on the floor nodded and said, "We have dispatched an ambassador to speak with their chieftain." He placed a leathery hand upon the table. "It would be best to gain their permission, but if we can not, we must press forward without it." He sighed. "It is imperative that we end the battle soon…though I will get to that at a later time.

"So however we manage to get through Mount Gagazet, the hardest part of the journey will take place in the Great Plains. We are aware that without help, the enemies advanced weaponry will mow down our forces," he said slowly.

"Well then why are we doing that again?" Kijo spoke up from his own seat, drawing stares of the rest of meeting. "What good is it going to do if we just charge in? We've seen again and again that we just end up getting cut down by their long range equipment. By their machina." He shook his head. "I know you said that we're in a hurry, but that doesn't change the fact that a rushed plan is a doomed one."

The old man nodded slowly. "Please do not speak out of turn, Commander," he said automatically. "What you say is true, but you did not let me finish." Kijo silently sat back in his chair, listening carefully now. "Up until now, we have only spared a precious few summoners to attend each battle, for fear of too many losses. As an unexpected consequence, the enemy has begun to expect this sort of organization and has adapted well to it. Now, however, the plan has changed. This is a pure offensive.

"All summoners who have passed the qualification exams, are to be placed on the front line."

There was a silence. No one spoke, and hardly anyone breathed. The concept was overwhelming. The destruction that a single aeon could bring was impressive as it was. There were well over one hundred summoners that existed within the city of Zanarkand. The plan was simple, but the possibilities…there was a chance they could finally win the war.

"You…" a young man stood up from his position against the row of seats. "You can't be serious." He was youthful and intelligent. Wild blonde hair was combed back in such a way it looked like wind was blowing through it. His eyes were kind, if confused by the new development. "You don't mean all the summoners, do you?" There was something in the boy's voice, a tremble of some sort that Kijo could easily pick out. Something about this plan made him very upset.

"Corporal Shuyin," the old man's voice interrupted Kijo's thoughts. "I request that you hold your peace until you are given permission. But as for your question." The man's eyes hardened. "Yes…I do mean all the summoners."

Shuyin's eyes wavered for a moment and then took on the look of a wild beast. "But…but that's absurd!"

Kijo slowly pressed the button on the arm of his chair. A light went on and the old man looked at him with surprises, but nodded. Kijo stood up and looked to the young man. "It is not absurd, corporal." He didn't know what it was that made him speak this way, but it seemed appropriate. "Such tactics, though they may be rather simplistic, if played out correctly, can win our way into Bevelle and with any luck, end this horrible war."

Shuyin met Kijo's hardened stare. For a second, it looked as though the boy would back down and give in, but suddenly, there was a flash of something…something untamed that tore across the boy's eyes. Kijo wasn't sure he had seen it himself, because immediately afterwards, Shuyin lowered his head and sat down.

"I apologize." He kept his head low. "I did not mean to be disruptive, please proceed."

Kijo watched him for a moment, trying to understand. He had been so passionate…and now…what? What happened in his mind that would make him give up. Is it so simple as realizing that this attack could be the last of this godforsaken war? Kijo sat down slowly. No…it must be something else. He shook his head, it didn't really matter. There wasn't much a single coporal could do anyway.

Majo remained silent through the exchange, watching carefully. He caught the strange glint in the boy's eyes. This was not the end of his disruptive nature. If nothing else, he was sure of that.

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So here's the start of things. I don't think anyone ever mentioned what Shuyin did in Zanarkand so I took some liberty with it. This story is going to be more about characterization than anything else. Does everyone understand exactly what happened during the Machina War? Cause if you don't…well I guess it will be interesting anyway. I had to like look it up on Wikipedia before I understood how Sin came into being and all that.

Well I hope that people find the concept a bit interesting.


	4. The Right Thing

So here's the next chapter. I had to do some research in wikipedia to figure some things out. I suppose you all know that Yu Yevon was the ruler of Zanarkand before it get erased. Well now you do. I'm really liking how things are turning out now. It's pretty cool I think. If you know enough about what happened to the old Zanarkand, you can probably start piecing together what's happening and what's going to happen. If you can't…sorry. I'm keeping you in suspense.

I disclaim that which I do not own.

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Chapter 3

The Right Thing

The meeting fell into a brief lull after that. Kijo watched as the old man explained the general shape of the plan that would unfold. Majo listened intently, though his eyes stayed on the young corporal. Only when the old general delegated Majo to be in charge of the Summoner assault, did he turn away from Shuyin.

"Supervisor Majo," the general said. "Due to your wealth of knowledge in the magic arts and your prowess as a tactician, we have decided it would be best if you were to head this project. The summoners will be gathered for you in ten days. Please take that time to figure out not only your organization and general tactics, but what you will do to prepare them for a team assault."

Majo stood and bowed. "Yes sir, I'm honored by your confidence of me."

The old general nodded in response but did not move on. "Also, please remain after the meeting so that we may discuss preparations."

"Yes sir," Majo said in a monotone.

One by one, the senior positions were given their respective missions. Kijo waited for his and listened as the old general got to him.

"Commander Kijo," he began slowly. "You will have eight days to gather the strongest two hundred of our men by your standards. Once you have gathered them, you have two missions. First, you will delegate at least one soldier to each summoner. Their job will be to protect the summoners with their lives. Your second mission, we will discuss personally after the meeting."

Silence spread over the room. Secrets were almost never kept within the meetings. All missions were handed out at the time. This was something unheard of. Kijo blinked in surprise and then stood up, somewhat dazed by the information. "Um…yes sir." He bowed and sat back down heavily.

The remainder of the meeting proceeded normally and when it was over, the attending members got up and filed out the large doorway. Kijo, although he wasn't leaving, got up to stretch and find Majo. He caught him before he made it out the door.

"Hey Majo!" he waved and jogged over to him, reaching out and pushing him playfully in the shoulder. "Look at you, first they make you supervisor and now you're in charge of the Summoner blitz. Big man in Zanarkand right here. Look of for this one." He smiled widely but then stopped. Majo was not smiling. He looked kind of depressed even.

"Kijo…" he said slowly, almost too softly for Kijo to hear. "Do you think…that…this is the right thing to do?"

Kijo blinked. "The right thing to do?" He coughed uncomfortably. "Hey…what're you saying? Why are you talking like that? Come on, of course it's the right thing to do. This could be the deciding factor to win the war." His smile returned. "Don't go getting cold feet on me now!"

Majo nodded solemnly. "So you really think it's the right thing to do…" he chuckled. "Yea…you're probably right…" but he didn't sound convinced.

"Kijo, Majo!" the old man called from the center of the room. "We can begin now!" The pair saluted and walked down the steps to the center of the room. "Very good…now, let us start with you, Kijo."

Kijo nodded. "Fine by me, what's the deal General Zanar?"

Zanar shook his head tiredly. "You know you aren't supposed to address me by name, Kijo…" Kijo shrugged and nodded. "But I'll let it slide this time. Look, the reason I couldn't mention your second mission is because it might have caused some concern among the other officers." Kijo leaned forward, raising an eyebrow. "Now, we've recently gotten wind of some interesting and important news. Bevelle is stepping up their machina production. There's rumor that there might be a giant machina being produced. It's not hard fact, but if it's anything like we've been hearing, when this thing is finished, it could destroy all of Zanarkand in one shot."

"Holy shit." Kijo whistled softly.

"Indeed. Now, we can't risk something like that coming to fruition. That's why we need you to go in there and get rid of it."

Kijo's mouth dropped open slightly. "But that's _suicide_! There's no way I can get into Bevelle and find this super secret machine and destroy it! We're not even sure it exists!" He sputtered. "I-I-I mean the risks are too high!"

"You can take a contingent of our 50 best men. Anyone you choose can be yours."

"That's not the point! The mission is impossible!"

"You don't have a choice."

"I'm not risking my hide for some stupid rumor!"

"You'll do as you're told, Commander!"

"Like hell I will!"

"What is going on here!?"

Kijo's words caught in his throat and he turned white. He could barely bring himself to turn around and when he did, it was slow and painful. Zanar coughed uncomfortably.

"Ah, um…Lord Yevon…you're early," he mumbled.

"It certainly seems so!" A tall regal looking man stood at the door to the meeting room. His robes were loose and fell to the ground as he walked forward. "Is this how all your men act?" he asked irritably.

Majo, who had been standing quietly until now, bowed and stepped forward. "My apologies sir, Commander Kijo was not thinking straight. His mission was…ah…a bit overwhelming for him."

Kijo's face flushed as he looked up at the ruler of Zanarkand, Yu Yevon. "I apologize, my lord. I meant no disrespect. Next time I will be more considerate of my superiors."

Yevon looked down at Kijo disdainfully, as though beholding an insect he had recently killed. "Yes, well…you've got your mission, you may leave now. Gather your 50 men in ten days and be prepared to move out."

Kijo bowed again and hurriedly walked to the exit muttering, "Yes my lord, of course."

Only when he had finally left the room and closed the door did he realize that Majo hadn't followed. "Oh yea, he never finished his talking to Zanar, did he?" Shaking his head, he started walking again. Thinking back on his experience of only a few moments ago, he began to wonder. What was Yu Yevon, the ruler of Zanarkand doing there? He normally stayed out of this business. What reason could he have for…

Well his daughter's a summoner, isn't she? That's what it's probably about, he decided. Some special treatment. "Ugh…I hate social hierarchies…"

Wrapped up in his own thoughts, he didn't notice the approaching footsteps as he rounded a corner and was almost knocked over by someone running by.

"Oof! Hey, watch it!" He caught his balance and looked up to see who had run into him. "Shuyin?"

The blond haired boy had already recovered his footing and was standing at attention. "Please, Commander Kijo, sir! Take me with you on the mission to Bevelle!"

Kijo wasn't sure what to say. His hand reached up and scratched at his head. "What?"

"Your mission to Bevelle, about the rumored machina, please pick me for one of the fifty you take along!"

Kijo shook his head, trying to wrap his brain around this. "That meeting was supposed to be secret right? How do you even know about it?"

"I was listening at the door."

"Well…wait…but Lord Yevon came in. Didn't he see you?"

"I hid."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes."

"Alright then…you're in."

Shuyin looked at Kijo in surprise. "What?"

"If you're stealthy enough to not be seen sneaking around and overhear the mission details, I'd say you're good enough to tag along." He smiled. "I mean…you'll need to pass one or two other tests…but as long as you're ok with suicide, you're in."

Shuyin's eyes flashed for second. It was barely visible but Kijo caught it. Something was going on inside the boy's head. Something that didn't look very good. But he couldn't put a finger on it, so he let it go.

"Meet by my quarters in twenty four hours. I'll gather the rest of the group. Don't tell anyone else about the mission, do you understand? No one."

"Yes sir!" Shuyin saluted and turned around to jog off.

"And don't call me sir! My name's just fine!" Kijo called after him.

"Alright!" Shuyin yelled over his shoulder before disappearing beyond another turn in the hallway.

Kijo watched him go quietly. "Well…there's one out of fifty," he said to himself with a sigh. He started walking again only to realize that even if he were to leave, he wouldn't be able to get home. Majo had brought the vehicle. He was going to have to wait.

Not being the most patient of people, Kijo jogged back to the meeting room. As he drew closer, he noticed that the great door had been left open slightly. He walked forward, planning to close it when he started hearing voices. "I guess it wasn't too hard for Shuyin to hear in," he mumbled.

"I'm not sure I understand, my lord." The slightly muffled sound of Majo echoed from inside. Kijo stopped by the door, deciding to listen in. "What you're saying doesn't make sense."

Yu Yevon's booming voice echoed out from the room. "You don't need to understand, Supervisor Majo. You only need to do what you've been told."

"But…my lord…with all due respect, this is absurd!"

Kijo's eyes widened. He'd never heard Majo talk like that to a superior, much less Yu Yevon himself.

"Majo!" Yevon's voice filled the entire room and nearly shook the hallway where Kijo stood. "I will not stand here and be disputed by you! You will do as you're told or you will be charged with treason!"

There was a long pause. Kijo hardly breathed. Finally, after what seemed like ages, Majo's voice broke the silence. "Of course, my lord."

"Then you are dismissed."

Kijo sprang away from the door, retreating halfway down the hall and then started walking toward the door again. A quarter of the way there, it opened and Majo stepped out, looking dejected and lost in his thoughts.

"Hey Majo! How'd it go?" He yelled to his friend. Majo looked up but didn't say anything, his expression hardly changing. "You've gotta give me a ride since you brought me here." Majo nodded silently and the two of them proceeded outside to the vehicle waiting for them. Once in the car, Kijo turned to the mage and smiled slyly.

"I'll tell you about my secret mission if you tell me about yours!"

Majo sullenly turned the car on and maneuvered it out of the central parking lot. "I already heard yours, I was there."

"Oh yea," Kijo snapped his fingers. "Damn, you're right." He looked out the window. "Care to tell me anyway."

"I can't do that!" Majo snapped. Kijo looked at him in surprise. Majo hadn't ever yelled at him like that before. Majo sighed. "I'm…sorry."

"It's alright man…" Kijo said carefully, unsure what to expect. Things were different. Majo had changed since that meeting. He wasn't his old friend, or the formal Supervisor. He was something new. It made Kijo uncomfortable. "If you can't tell me, you can't. That's all there is to it."

Majo slowed the car down, bringing it to a halt. His head lowered down onto the wheel and rested there. His arms were shaking and his fingers were gripping the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. Kijo wasn't sure what to do. Majo never did this. He wanted to say something, let him know he was listening. That he would help if he could. But he wasn't sure what to do. He was completely lost.

"Kijo…" Majo said in a shaky voice. "We…we need to win this." He raised his head and looked to his friend. Wet lines streaked his face where tears had rolled down. "Kijo…we need to win this. We have to…we…we're going to win the war, right?"

Kijo looked at Majo, unsure what to say. His throat was locked shut, hardly able to breath let alone make a sound or much less words. After a moment, something pushed through the block on his vocal cords. "Yeah…Majo. Yeah we will. No doubt about it."


	5. Coming and Going

Woohoo! Two chapters so quickly! Pretty awesome if you ask me. Here's some final touches on stuff before we head outta Zanarkand. Whaddya think? Can you figure out what's got Majo so worked up? Surely you can guess by now. No? Oh well. Maybe in a few chapters then.

I disclaim that which I do not own.

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Chapter 4

Coming and Going

The following days, Kijo didn't see much of Majo. He was busy with preparing his 200 men to accompany the summoners, and then from that, he would pick the best fifty and use for himself. He also knew that Majo was preoccupied with preparing the summoners. Shuyin was on time for his appointment and passed the few tests that Kijo had concocted. The boy was an excellent fighter and smart to boot. It was impressive. However, he soon would have been lost in the large group that Kijo assembled**—** were it not for that look in his eyes.

It set Kijo on edge, whenever it showed itself. Something was going on in the corporal's head that he didn't quite trust. But because he could never really understand what it was…Kijo ignored it.

After four days, Kijo made the decision that a group of fifty was too large to infiltrate effectively and cut the number down to twenty-five. By the sixth day, he had gathered what he believed to be the best of the best. Magic specialists, fighters, intelligence officers, demolitions experts, he had them all and was ready to use them. The following day he made the decision about which twenty-five would accompany him. Shuyin made the list, and he let him know.

"You're in," he told him as he dismissed the soldiers.

Shuyin didn't react much, knowing not to alert the other soldiers that something was happening. He just nodded and waited to hear what else Kijo had to say.

"There's twenty-four others. I'll be notifying central and you'll probably be called in within the next few days." And then he (identify this to be Shuyin because it seems like Kijo since it follows his talking) left without a word. Only a strange glint in his eyes.

Kijo let the other members of the special squad know of their status and sent a message to central confirming with them his selection. The next day he sent another message letting them know the other members he had chosen to guard the summoners. Two days later, he was called back to central.

Upon arriving at the large building, he could feel his stomach moving uneasily. He wasn't sure why he had spent so much time preparing the mission. He didn't agree with it. Something about his encounter with Shuyin had…changed his mind somehow. He shivered.

His trip through central was short. He was to report to the meeting room. It felt odd to him to be on time for once. When he reached the door, he strode in confidently. Already inside, he found his twenty-five men standing at attention in front of General Zanar and, not to his surprise, Yu Yevon.

"Ah, you're on time, I must say I'm impressed, Commander Kijo," Zanar said with a bemused smile. "Normally things happen the other way and we end up waiting for you, not Supervisor Majo."

At the mention of Majo's name, Kijo perked up. "Ah…yes sir. I just came like you asked."

Zanar shook his head. "Yes, of course, now come take your place. We still need to wait for Majo."

Kijo nodded and walked through the ranks of his men. So Majo was coming to this? Why would he need to? Kijo frowned. It didn't make sense to him. He (identify) was supposed to be in the middle of preparing the summoners. He didn't have time to meet unless it was very important.

Kijo stopped in front of the line of soldiers and stood at attention in front of Yu Yevon. His eyes wandered the ranks and he saw Shuyin standing in place as well, looking straight ahead, unblinking. He didn't hold himself any different than the other men, but Kijo found it difficult to take his eyes off of him.

Minutes passed by slowly. The meeting room was quiet and uncomfortable. Kijo began to feel stiff where he stood. He looked at the clock against the wall. Majo was late. Kijo frowned again. What was going on? This wasn't like him at all. Majo was a slave to the clock. Always on time for everything, always composed…what was going on?

Minutes dragged on halfway into the hour. Kijo felt more and more uncomfortable with ever tick of the clock. The more time went by, the worse he felt. Something was wrong, something was definitely wrong.

Then the door opened. Kijo turned, smiling. "Hey, Majo! You're late for…"

A man stepped into the meeting room. He wore the same robes that Majo did. He had the same color hair and walked with the same gait that Majo did…but…something was different. His hair was messy, graying and unkempt. His face was gaunt and there were deep, dark bags under his eyes. His robes fell slack as though the man was unhealthily thin. His whole appearance made him appear hollow.

"Majo?" Kijo's voice was barely above a whisper.

"You're late, Supervisor Majo," Zanar said sternly.

Majo walked forward and took his place next to Kijo silently. When he stood at attention, he looked at the general with sad eyes. "Sorry."

And that was all he said.

Yu Yevon sighed deeply and straightened up. "Very well then, now that you are all here…"

But his voice was falling on deaf ears. Kijo stared at his friend. His whole appearance was haggard and sad, like he had wilted in the past nine days. He'd known he was working hard…but this…this was too much. "Majo…what happened to you?" he said softly.

Yevon stopped speaking, put off by the rude interruption. "Excuse me?" he said in surprise.

Not even the booming, condescending voice of the ruler of Zanarkand could break Kijo out of his thoughts. He was in his own world where only he and Majo really existed. "What happened to you? What have you been doing?" He chuckled but it was an empty laugh. "You look awful."

"Commander Kijo!" Zanar shouted. "Lord Yevon is speaking!"

"What's wrong with you?"

"Commander Kijo!"

"What…"

Majo turned to Kijo and without a smile or any expression whatsoever, said, "Lord Yevon is trying to speak…" And even though his face was stone, his eyes were filled to the brim with a painful look that shook Kijo to the center of his being.

It was like looking into the eyes of a dead man.

Without any idea what to say, he returned his attention to Yu Yevon, bowing and offering an apology that meant nothing. He listened to him as he began speaking again. He heard every word, he would remember all of it...but none of it meant anything to him.

"You have been chosen to accompany commander Kijo on the mission that will make or break this war," he began. "Your mission is to infiltrate Bevelle and search for the enemy's new machina. You should know, that there is no concrete evidence that the machina does exist. This is both a recon and a sabotage mission. You will not be allowed to leave until you are sure beyond a shadow of a doubt, that there is no immense machina being produced.

"If there is, you must do all you can to destroy it."

The men raised a salute and snapped their heels together. "YES SIR!"

"Commander Kijo will lead you in this mission. His experience is what will guide you. I have no doubt in my mind, (no comma) that you will do Zanarkand proud."

"YES SIR!"

"You will move out tomorrow. Any supplies you can carry are at your disposal. In three weeks time, the battle in the Great Plains will commence. I hope that you will return before then with good news."

"YES SIR!"

"Very well then, you are dismissed," Kijo turned to leave with his men, glancing at Majo as he started to walk. "Not you, Commander. Stay for a moment."

Slowly, the men filed out of the room and Kijo remained with Majo.

Yevon turned to the general and whispered something. Zanar nodded and then strode across the room and out the door, shutting it tightly behind him. The closing door echoed in the large, dimly lit room.

"Majo…" Yevon began speaking, his voice was soft but undeniably powerful. "I hope you understand how important Kijo's mission is,"

Kijo looked from Yevon to Majo. What the hell was going on?

Majo shuddered. "Of course I do. How could I not."

"Well of course it's important," Kijo said. He laughed an empty, mirthless laugh. "I mean…a huge machina. That's bad for us isn't it?"

Yevon sighed and stepped forward. His dark robes rustled as he moved. "Kijo….you need to understand something. This mission you are to embark on…is more important than you think it is."

Kijo smiled uncomfortably and glanced at Majo who averted his eyes. "I'm not sure I follow."

"If this mission fails…" Yevon's eyes narrowed and he leaned in close to Kijo. "All of Zanarkand is going to be destroyed."

Majo's fists clenched and he turned to Yevon. Gritting his teeth he pointed at the ruler of Zanarkand with a shaking finger. "Yeah! Zanarkand will be destroyed! But by-"

Yevon was a blur of robes and movement. A hand shot out from under a fold in his cloak and flashed out, clamping over Majo's mouth. The two tumbled to the ground with Yevon landing on top, hand still covering a now frightened Majo's mouth. His eyes narrowed dangerously.

"_You keep your mouth shut you pathetic man!_"

Kijo didn't know what was going on, but he wasn't about to let his friend be treated like this. Dashing forward, he leaned down leaning back on one leg and whipping out with his other.

"_Get off of him!_"

Not letting go of Majo, Yevon's other hand shot out. His eyes turned on Kijo and his approaching attack. "**Gravija!**"

The spell echoed through the room and suddenly, Kijo stopped moving forward. His limbs felt too heavy. His whole body felt like it weighed thousands of tons. Something was crushing him from above. He crumpled to the ground and lay there, with force upon force beating down on him, holding him against the ground. He could hear his bones creaking under the pressure.

Flat on the ground, all he could do was look up at the ceiling. He heard movement and heard a gasp. In a second, a head peeked out into his view. "Don't fail the mission, Commander. A lot is riding on this." Yevon disappeared from his sight and he heard footsteps walking away and then a door closing.

"Dispel."

Kijo could hear Majo's voice to the side. There was a flash of light and he felt the pressure lifted from his body. Kijo shot up, gasping for air. When he had caught his breath, he looked around again. The meeting room was empty now except for him. He could hear shuddering breaths somewhere and scanned the seats. Majo was sitting with his head in his hands, body wracked with sobs.

"It's all going to hell…" he shook his head violently. "It's all going to hell Kijo…and there's nothing…" His voice lowered until it could hardly be heard at all. "Nothing we can do."


	6. Reasons and Transformation

Here's the next chapter. So one thing I'm struggling with is that I fear people will begin to think Kijo and Majo are homosexual. Now…I hope the last part of this chapter sets things a bit straighter (haha PUN!) for everyone. I have no issues with gay love. I just don't see it happening between these two. It isn't my intent. I don't know if anyone else has begun to see it that way, but I just wanted to put it out there. They are the closest of friends. They love each other, but not in an erotic sense. I know that it's a foreign concept to a lot of people…but it's what I'm going for. Obviously if everyone thinks they're gay…I'm not doing a good job though and that's my fault. I've been rambling for a long time now.

On another note, I like how I write Shuyin. Anyone else agree at all? Anyone else know what he's planning yet? If you don't…you obviously haven't played FFX-2. What about Majo's secret? Figured it out yet? I guess this chapter doesn't really help that much toward that. So if you haven't yet, you probably won't now. Have a good read.

I disclaim all of the things I don't own.

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Chapter 5

Reasons and Transformations

Kijo walked silently through the halls of central. Beside him, Majo shuffled along the carpeted floor slowly. His black mage robes dragged against the ground creating a soft purring sound. They didn't speak a word as they made their way through the vast connecting halls.

"What do you know?" After several minutes, Kijo couldn't take any more of it. "What the hell is going on?" He stared straight ahead, not daring to look at his friend. Majo said nothing. "I heard you at the meeting the other day, when you stayed after." Kijo sneered. "You said, 'this is absurd,' to Lord Yevon." Kijo stopped walking and turned to the ragged mage. "You never talk to higher-ups like that! Something's happening and it's tearing you to pieces! You can talk to me! I'll listen! Dammit…" he clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Dammit, Majo…I care."

The black mage took a few more steps forward and then stopped. His head hung low, staring blankly at the floor. After a long time, he spoke. "I…I know that. But…telling you what's going on won't make anything better." He sighed. "It'll only make things worse."

"Don't give me that Majo…telling me is going to help and you know it," Kijo said through gritted teeth.

"No!" Majo looked up, bloodshot, sleepless eyes locked onto Kijo's and stayed there. "No, it won't. Right now, we can still pull ourselves out of this. If everything goes right, we can fix things! And if I tell you now…fuck…" He looked away again, clutching his head. "If I tell you now, you won't leave for the mission tomorrow."

The mage started walking again. Kijo stood, dumbstruck and confused by his words. Finally, he shook his head and jogged after Majo. "Hey! What the hell is that supposed to mean!" Majo did not turn but continued to walk on. "Hey! Listen to me!" He reached out, grabbing onto Majo's shoulder and pulling him towards himself. "Friends don't do things like this!"

"I'm doing this _because_ you're my friend."

"Bullshit! What the hell is going on!"

"Just leave it alone."

"Like hell I will! You can't deal with this on your own!"

"Would you just drop it!"

"No!"

Majo's eyes flashed and his hand raised. "**Thunder.**"

A bolt of electricity arced out from his palm and sped into Kijo's chest. Kijo let go of the mage and took the blast head on. He was blown backwards against the wall, body twitching violently from the shock. Painfully he slid down to his knees and stopped there.

"I'm…I'm just trying to protect you…" Majo whispered. "I promise…just…try and believe me…"

And then he left.

Kijo stayed leaning against the wall where he had been thrown by the lightning. He didn't know what to do. Everything was upside down. Everything was so fucked up…all he could do was sit there and try to keep breathing.

He would never be sure how much time went by while he sat there. Whether it was only a few minutes, or a few hours, he would never be sure. He would have stayed there forever if the blonde haired corporal hadn't come across him.

"Cure."

Shuyin waved a hand and white brilliant light washed over Kijo. The marks on his skin from the blast erased themselves and he felt the pain in his back fade away. Still, he didn't move.

"Thanks."

"No problem." Shuyin stood there, waiting, looking down at Kijo with a soft expression. Shaking his head, he leaned down and put his equipment on the floor before walking forward and leaning against the wall next to Kijo. "A gil for your thoughts."

Kijo smiled dryly at the expression and shook his head. Even if he wanted to, his mind was so jumbled at the moment that the best he could muster would be a string of incoherent words. But in his mixed up, impossibly indecipherable mind, came a sense of peace. Still smiling, he looked up to the young man.

"Why do you want to be on this mission so much?" It had been in his mind for a while now. "You've got a lot more to live for…why risk it all like this?"

Shuyin looked up to the ceiling and laughed softly. "Man have I heard that before." He shook his head and looked down at the ground, shoving his hands into his pockets. "But…it's more complicated than just that."

"Oh?"

"Yea…" His eyes softened and the slightest suggestion of a smile appeared. "I have…absolutely everything to live for." His voice was quiet, tender. It made Kijo smile just listening to him. "I've felt something…that…I can't even begin to describe. And…I feel it every time I see her."

Kijo nodded understandingly. "So it's love is it? Why risk it then? Stay…enjoy yourself. Don't do this."

Shuyin shook his head again, his blond hair trembling from the motion. "That's it though. I'm going _because_ I'm in love." His eyes were glistening now and a single crystal tear fell from them and rolled down his cheek. "Lenne…she's…a summoner."

Kijo felt something drop to the pit of his stomach. "Lenne…the songstress?" She was famous. One of the best songstress's Zanarkand had ever seen. It was a well known fact that she was also a summoner.

"Yea…and...with this new plan…she's going to be put on the front lines." Another tear dropped from his eyes followed by another, and another. "She's never fought before. If she goes out there…dammit Kijo, she's going to die."

"And if this machina really exists…there's no chance she'll survive at all." Kijo looked away from the corporal. "So if we can get to this thing in time…we can stop it from being brought out…and then Lenne might stand more of a chance, is that right?" Kijo looked back to Shuyin, feeling very connected to the soldier.

What he saw sent chills down his spine. Tears still fell from the boy's eyes, though more slowly. But his eyes had changed. Now they shone with the same odd glint he had seen several times now. Unlike before, the look did not go away. It remained there, engraved on his face. Shuyin said nothing for a long time, and then pushed away from the wall, eyes still shining dangerously.

"That's right, Kijo." But something about the way he said it didn't ring true to the commander. "That's what we're going to do…so…for Zanarkand…and Lenne…we have to win." He reached down and placed a hand on Kijo's shoulder. His touch made Kijo's body go cold.

Then, without a word, he picked up his supplies and walked off down the hall. Kijo sat there in silence for a little longer before sighing and pushing himself to his feet. He was doing what he could to push the image of Shuyin's eyes out of his memory. Scratching the back of his head, he sighed and took off toward the supply wing. He had a mission to plan…he didn't have the time to think about everything right then.

The day passed quickly. Kijo gathered the necessary supplies and returned to his home to take stock of as many scenarios as he could. When he was satisfied with his planning, he turned off the light and let himself fall into bed. Rest was important before the start of a mission, and who knew how long it was going to be before he felt a bed beneath him. If he ever did again.

He slept easily, dreaming of nothing. When he awoke, he dressed quickly and ate before gathering his equipment and leaving his apartment. The rendezvous point was a few miles outside the entrance to Zanarkand, not far up the path to Mt. Gagazet. He threw his packs into the military-issue vehicle he had been given and set out along the road. After several miles another truck fell into step behind him. Kijo assumed it was another member of his unit.

The sun was rising above the great Gagazet when he arrived. The light fell like javelins from the sky as it poured over the large stony crags. It cast long shadows wherever it could and from where he was, Kijo could see that the city of Zanarkand was still mainly covered in the shadow of the mountain.

Most of his men were already waiting at the checkpoint. Kijo was pleased to see that none of them had packed too much or in a suspicious manner. He had chosen well. Their vehicles were all parked. Ahead, the roads did not allow ground transport. Kijo stepped out from his own truck and pulled his bags from the trunk.

The soldiers all looked up at him eagerly. His eyes scanned the faces of his team. Shuyin was already there and waiting. He was sitting with his back to an outcropping of stone. Kijo was glad to see that he was there already.

"Kijo." A voice pierced the silence from behind him.

Startled, Kijo turned around, nearly dropping his packs. Stepping out of the car that had been following him, Majo put his feet on the dusty ground of the mountain path.

"Majo?" Kijo's voice cracked. "What are you doing out here?"

The mage walked forward and stopped in front of Kijo. Their eyes met and something about Majo's look made Kijo smile. Without breaking the stare, Majo spoke. His voice was low and soft, but it was strong and his words made Kijo feel happy for the first time since the meeting ten days ago.

"I'm sorry for electrocuting you." He said with a small grin. "I'm sorry for keeping secrets from you. I'm sorry for lying and I'm sorry for not listening to you." He shook his head. "I'm sorry…for not being able to tell you everything. I really am." He smiled warmly at Kijo. "I'm changing…and I'm sorry for that. If there was anything I could do…I would. Believe me, I would. But things are happening faster than I could have imagined."

His hand dug into his robes and then pulled away in a fist holding something. "Look…I can't keep being who I was right now. I know that…I promised I wouldn't change…but it can't be helped." He reached out and grabbed Kijo's hand, pulling it toward him and facing it palm up. "But…I promise you…that when this is all over. Everything's going to be just like it was."

Majo let go of the object in his hand and placed it in Kijo's open palm. Then he closed his fingers over it and pulled away. "I know it seems unfair…but I know you're stronger than I ever will be so I'm going to do it anyway." When he smiled again but this time it was full of sadness, as though he were pleading for something.

"Don't ever change."

Kijo didn't smile. He didn't laugh, didn't frown, and didn't nod. He hardly moved at all. When he did, he just looked down at his hand and opened his fist. Laying in his palm, a small ring looked back up at him. He stared at it for a minute in silence and then smiled.

"So are you proposing to me then?" He said with a laugh.

Majo blinked and then flushed. "Wh-what?! No!"

"Well then why a ring?" He held it up to the light. It shone a brilliant white color. "And such a pretty one as well."

Majo's jaw dropped. "I'm not _proposing_! It's a magical artifact!" He held up his right hand where Kijo could see a ring just like his sitting on Majo's third finger. "Id you're wearing it when you die, my ring turns black! It's just so we know what's going on!"

"You know…having one that matches mine doesn't build a case against you proposing to me."

Majo's face flushed again and he sputtered for a few seconds before taking a deep breath. "You know what?" His right hand raised and all the fingers except his middle fell down. Kijo blinked in surprise. Then, Majo's hand flipped upside down so the middle finger was pointing down at Kijo's feet.

"**Fire.**"

There was a flash of red and yellow and suddenly, Kijo could feel something hot down by his ankle. He looked down to find that the bottom of his pant leg was engulfed in flames. After a few seconds of frantically beating at the fire, he straightened up and leered at Majo.

"Magical bastard."

"Knucklehead."

"MP whore."

"Meatshield."

Their eyes locked again and silence settled over the scene. Slowly, the sun began to light up the city far below. The very corner of Kijo's lips twitched ever so slightly. Then the floodgates burst. Kijo doubled over in laughter and Majo followed soon after. The two laughed for a long time before finally wheezing to a stop.

"57." Kijo said with a smile.

"You haven't won once, have you?"

"Give it time."

Again, silence drifted onto the scene, though this time warm and comforting. Kijo shook his head happily and slipped the white ring onto his finger. He held it up to the light, admiring the way it shone in the sun. When he looked back down at Majo, he smiled warmly at him.

"You haven't changed too much."

Majo grinned back. "I guess not."

"Thanks," Kijo said. "Now you hold down the fort here, alright? I'll take us out for drinks when I get back."

"And I'll get that blitzball autographed like I said I would."

Then they turned from each other and walked in opposite directions. Majo to the car that would take him back to the city where he would be meeting to plan the summoner attack, and Kijo to his men who had gathered with their supplies. For the first time in a long time, everything seemed to be alright in Spira. Kijo hoped it would last.


	7. Too Human

So here's the next chapter. I think it's pretty good. It's been really weird for me to write without action for such a long time. Fortunately the next chapter should have a lot of it. I don't have much to say about this one…enjoy!

I disclaim things I don't own.

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Chapter 6

Too Human

The sun rose above the mountain just like any day. Shadows grew longer and then shrunk until they were nothing more than a puddle of darkness below the soldier's feet by the time they reached the top of the mountain path. Kijo shifted his shoulders, trying to even out the weight of his pack.

He had spent some time at the checkpoint below explaining the Ronso to his unit. "They're a peaceful race," he'd said. "They live their lives on Mt. Gagazet, worshipping it as though it was a god. They may look big and brawny, but they're very intelligent people. When speaking to them, show them the utmost respect. They're peaceful…but very strong and we don't want any trouble. We need their permission to get through."

Only a few of his soldiers had seen a Ronso before. He was inclined to feel nervous as they neared the large entrance to the mountain cave. This was a sentry point for the Ronso. They kept a close eye on who entered their sacred mountain. His unit could be trusted to follow directions; they _were _the best of the best after all. Even so, he spared a quick glance over his shoulder at all of them. His gaze lingered on Shuyin for a moment before moving on.

When they reached the cave mouth, they stopped and congregated at the entrance, waiting. Within a few moments, footsteps could be heard from within. They echoed in the dark, sounding unlike the normal sound of shoes or boots on stone, but instead of padded feet. Kijo heard the sound of someone swallowing loudly behind him. He risked a look behind to silence the nervous individual. When he turned around, he saw a large Ronso stepping out from the shadow of the cave.

The great blue Ronso walked slowly but purposefully out into the open air. His muscles were almost clearly visible under his thin layer of fur. The mountain breeze swept across him, throwing the feathered tassles of his loincloth fluttering in disarray. His ivory horn glowed in the light of the sun. The Ronso were truly a majestic people.

When he came to a halt, he carefully looked over the assembled humans before him. His black, marble eyes stared unblinkingly at all the soldiers one by one. Kijo felt something deeper reach into him as the beady eyes swept over him. Not pausing for an instant, the Ronso's steely gaze continued past the commander and through the ranks of men.

Then he blinked. For a second, the Ronso seemed confused. He moved an infinitesimal amount forward and then stepped back again. His nostrils flared and then he turned away from the men before him and looked up at the mountain that stretched toward the sky above him.

He remained in that position for some time. Kijo began to feel nervous. He had heard of this once before, that the Ronso could communicate with the mountain itself. He turned around to look at his men with curiosity, trying to find the cause for the disturbance. Everyone looked back at him with the same confusion.

Everyone except Shuyin. He looked straight ahead, his face perfectly peaceful. His eyes did not look any different. They were calm and restful. But that strange glint could be seen ever so clearly in them. Kijo blinked and then turned away, unsure what to think. In front of him, the Ronso was still looking upwards.

Finally, he looked back down. He lowered his head and from his throat, a gravelly, deep voice echoed out over the soldiers. "Great Mt. Gagazet will allow you to pass."

Kijo's voice caught in his throat. This was a surprise to him. He hadn't even said anything. He had it all planned out. They were fleeing Zanarkand because the war was drafting them and they wanted no part in the fight. He had planned out almost every aspect and possible response.

"Uhm…" he faltered for a moment and then recovered. "We thank you. And we thank you, Mt. Gagazet." He bowed to the Ronso and then to the mountain itself.

"There is no need." The Ronso's voice echoed in the mountain air. "We Ronso believe Gagazet to be the holiest of places. Great Mt. Gagazet shelters us, gives us food, warmth. Gagazet brings life to the Ronso." He looked up warmly at the rock face before him. "To Ronso, Gagazet is the greatest being in all of Spira."

The Ronso looked down at the ground. "But for long time now, Mt. Gagazet has been worried. The wind wails through the crags, makes the children cry. Makes women sad, men worry. Our Chieftain knows what Gagazet knows. The top of Gagazet reaches high. The snow tipped summit reaches upwards to grasp the sky. But no matter how large it seems, it will never reach the stars."

He stepped forward, looking Kijo in the eye. "Change is coming. Big change. Change big enough to make Gagazet wail like child. Big enough to make Gagazet feel small." The Ronso turned to walk back toward the cave entrance. "Gagazet is frightened. Can not stop the change. It knows this. So you may go. The Ronso will not stop you. Go on, soldiers from Zanarkand."

The soldiers stood, awestruck by the Ronso's speech. Kijo wanted to call after him and ask more of the strange things he'd said. He wanted to stop him and ask what he meant. But he knew he could not.

"Alright," he said. "We have their permission. Let's go." Then he stepped forward, walking purposefully toward the cave entrance.

The path through Mt. Gagazet was surprisingly straightforward. The caves were well lit and there was enough room for everyone to pass by unhindered. It was surprisingly empty inside and the stalactites dripped water peacefully. Fiends that would normally attack stuck to the shadows instead, lurking and hoping for one of the large group to separate so they could feed.

When they reached the end of the caves, they exited and walked out into the snow covered trails that led down to the southern side of Mt. Gagazet. After a short rest to eat and recover strength, they were up and moving again. Fortunately, it was not blizzard season, and the going was easy enough. The sun was just disappearing over the peak when they reached the stone archway at the bottom of the mountain. There were no Ronso at the base, but Kijo stopped and bowed to the mountain.

"Thank you, Mt. Gagazet, for granting us passage."

The soldiers continued on down the stony walkway and into the small cave that led down to the Great Plains. When they stood before the narrow path, Kijo stopped and turned to face his unit.

"How many of you have been to the front lines?"

The men and women in his unit looked at eachother in confusion for a moment. One by one, seventeen of the soldiers raised their hands in the air. Shuyin's arm did not raise.

"We're about to proceed into what we call the antechamber of the Great Plains. It is our furthest outpost in our war with Bevelle. Most of it is designated to medical establishments." He shook his head. "For those of you who haven't seen it before, this isn't going to be a cheerful experience." Kijo looked up and his eyes narrow. Prepare yourselves now. I expect the best from all of you. I'm not leading a bunch of helpless children on this mission and if I see you can't deal with the sights before us, I'm leaving you behind." He turned and walked down the rocky path. "Now come on. Let's go."

The troop made their way through the small cave. They moved single file, Kijo at the head. When they emerged, they found before them row upon rows of large tents. The majority of them were a bright white color. Those were the medical tents. Doctors and nurses rushed back and forth between them, wearing gloves soaked in blood. Kijo did not turn around as he led his unit through the encampment. To his left, screams issued from the surgical tent.

"_AAAGGH!_"

"Dammit! The sleep spell wore off! Get a white mage in here now!"

A nurse dashed out from the open flaps and nearly tackled a wandering officer, dragging her back into the tent.

The grass was sprayed with drops of blood, not from immediate battle, but from carting the wounded and the dead back and forth. Kijo averted his gaze from a row of men and women with white pieces of cloth draped over their faces. They all laid peacefully on the grass, off to the side and out of the way. Those were the most recently deceased. A summoner would need to come by within the next few days to send them. Their bodies might be buried, if there was time.

From across the encampment, two men ran in carrying another gasping soldier on a stretcher. They hurried past Kijo and his unit. The whole left side the man on the stretcher's his body looked as though it had been crushed under something enormous. His left leg was holding on by a thread. Tears fell from his eyes and he gasped desperately for air.

"Where's a doctor?! We need a medic right now!"

Kijo didn't turn, but looked straight ahead. That man wouldn't receive medical treatment. His left lung had been destroyed and his skull had been crushed. He wouldn't live from that. Behind him, he could hear startled gasps. Soldiers from his unit. He sighed and walked faster, making his way to a large red and blue tent.

He pushed aside the tent flap and strode in. Several men stood up, startled and pulled knives from their pockets before recognizing the man who had walked into the tent.

"Loro, Yahn," Kijo nodded to two of the men inside. Loro was a middle aged man, his hair was graying and he had an unkempt beard. Scars crisscrossed down his right arm and he was missing two fingers on that hand. Yahn had long light blue hair that he kept in a pony tail. His face was young but experienced and his eyes were hard. They sheathed their knives and saluted.

"Commander Kijo, sir!"

"No need for that." Kijo waved the salutes. Behind him, his unit filed into the tent and offered salutes to the men inside the tent. "Where's Holken?"

Yahn sneered and looked at the ground. "Killed in battle a week ago. Bunker got bombed out by some Bevelle bastard."

Kijo blinked and cursed under his breath. "Who's in charge now?"

Loro stepped forward. "That'd be me. So what are you doing here? I thought you weren't meant to go back to the front lines for another few months."

Kijo nodded solemnly. "Yeah…but things have changed. Sit down, I see you haven't gotten the news yet."

Kijo explained the plan involving the summoners to Loro and Yahn carefully. They listened silently, taking in the news. Kijo did not mention the rumored machina. When he had finished, Loro nodded solemnly. "Alright…"

Kijo could tell he was trying to conceal his excitement. "And I can't tell you what I'm here for, but we'll be needing a nights rest. No need for a tent. Just need some space to ourselves. We have sufficient supplies. We'll be moving out tonight."

Loro nodded again. "Alright then. That's fine." Kijo turned to his mean and dismissed them. They saluted and left the tent. Kijo stared behind. When the final soldier left, Loro shook his head and smiled. "That's a good crew you've got there."

"I assembled them myself."

"Yeah? Well of course they'll be good." He laughed. "It's been a while, Kijo. How's Majo doing?"

Kijo's face dropped slightly. He frowned for an instant but recovered almost instantly. "Oh you know…same as ever."

"Yeah? That's good."

Kijo nodded halfheartedly. "Yeah. Well…I need to go finish briefing my men. I'll come back later. I want a full report as to how we're doing out here, you understand?"

Loro nodded. "Sure thing."

Kijo smiled and offered a mocking salute before jogging out the tent opening. He made his way to his men who had congregated in a corner of the antechamber. One by one he addressed them, interviewing them to see how they were holding up. Almost all of them were doing fine. The seventeen who had been to battle weren't upset by the scene, only made bitter about it. Shuyin was entirely unfazed by it all. The remaining six were for the most part ok. The two women were able to cope easily enough. Three of the men were only mildly upset by the scene. One though, a young black mage was shaking and his eyes were wide with fright.

"Go home, Syph." Kijo placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're…too human for this."

The night came and the encampment quieted down. Kijo ordered his soldiers to rest, the next day would be a long one. He dropped into the main tent and discussed the status of the battle with Loro. They were at a stalemate. The superior machina from Bevelle was wrecking their troops but the few summoner units they had were causing just as much destruction to them.

After a few hours, Kijo returned to his unit. They were all asleep, except for one. The young man, Syph, was standing, staring up at the moon. Kijo made his way to him, careful not to wake any of the others. He stepped up next to the boy and looked up at the large moon overhead. Silence drifted over the camp.

"I…want to do my best for Zanarkand."

Kijo lowered his head, closing his eyes as he listened to Syph.

"I told myself…if I can be the best mage in Zanarkand, I can make a difference." Syph shook his head, still staring at the pale moon above. "I practiced. I was the best in my class. Mastered –aga level spells in my second year. I…really could have made a difference."

Kijo nodded, listening intently.

"Sure…I wanted to be famous. I wanted my name to be written out as a hero, but more than that…I really wanted to make a difference." A low, sad laugh issued from his throat. "I was going to be a hero of the battlefield. But…" he looked at Kijo. "But I never would have thought the battlefield was like this." He turned to face his commander. "I…I saw that guy…the one with his leg almost torn off. He was crying. He wasn't going to be treated…was he?"

"No…he wasn't. There was nothing anyone could have done for him."

"Is that…is that what a hero's death is like?"

Kijo shook his head. "There's no such thing as the death of a hero. It doesn't matter if you die on the field, in your bed, taking a bullet for a friend. When we die…we die. Remember…it doesn't matter how you died. If you aren't sent, you become a fiend, just like everyone else."

"Do you think I'm a coward?

"You came here trying to make a difference…but…a part of you…came here to find a place to die." Kijo shook his head. "Live a heroic life…don't look for a heroic death. That's what cowardice really is."

Kijo reached out and patted Syph's shoulder. "Go back to Zanarkand tomorrow. No one's going to think any less of you." Kijo turned and walked back to his unit, finding an open sleeping mat and lying down. As he watched the stars begin to form in the sky, he knew that he had saved the mage's life. Turning on his side, he smiled and drifted off into sleep.


	8. Simple, Insane Plans

So here's the first action sequence. Also, more people. One of the things I try and do is like…be somewhat realistic about life and death when I write, so like in the last chapter when Kijo mentions Holken and we've never even met him…but he's already dead…that's realistic to me. He spent a lot of time on the battlefield, he was likely to die eventually.

So just because you hear a name…don't think they're any less susceptible to death than anyone else.

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Chapter 7

Simple, Insane Plans

The night passed silently for Kijo. His own experience had taught him how to ignore the screams and the shouted commands that pervaded the nights on the battlefield. His ears shut out the distant explosions and gun fire. He slept soundly, as though in a trance and when the sun began to rise, he rose with it.

A few of the men in his unit were already awake. He ordered them up and at attention. One by one, he roused the men and women in his unit. When they were all awake, he had them gather their equipment and meet him in Loro's tent. After a few minutes, they filed into the tent and stood at attention before Kijo. Syph was not there.

Kijo looked over his unit and nodded satisfactorily. "Syph went back to Zanarkand." The soldiers didn't so much as blink. "He wasn't meant for a mission like that…and…I'm not afraid to say that I envy him somewhat for that." He sighed and began pacing in front of the soldiers. "This is the last chance any of you have. Think very hard. What comes first in your mind? Your life? Or the mission?"

He stopped and turned to face them, eyes narrowed and glaring at them one after another. "Because if you hesitate out there, not only are you going to be killed, you're going to get the rest of us killed." His voice rose as he spoke. "There's nothing wrong with valuing your own life, but so help me, if you change your mind while we're out there, I will not hesitate to leave you behind or even kill you if it's going to keep the rest of us alive."

The soldiers before him didn't blink or falter. He held his gaze on them for a few more minutes before turning away. "Very well. That's it then. We're in, and we're in for the long haul. So…here's how we're going to do this."

He began pacing again. "We're going deep into Bevelle, the enemy territory. While we're there, we can't be looking to an authority for directions and what to do next. As a group of twenty-five, I'm splitting us up into units. Five groups of five. I'll be heading one, of course. I'll designate the other four leaders."

He stopped and scanned the soldiers before him, his eyes landed on an older man. His hair was beginning to gray. "Tash, get up here, you'll be leading cell #2." The middle aged man nodded and stepped in front of the assembled soldiers. Tash had distinguished himself in training with his exquisite melee fighting ability. He had come off as being very honest as well. Kijo gave him a brief nod and once again surveyed the crowd.

His gaze fell on a woman perhaps a year younger than himself. She had short brown hair that she kept in a pony tail. Kijo remembered that she had stuck out in his tests for knowing a good deal more about demolitions than any of the other candidates. "Lily, you're in charge of cell #3."

After Lily, he called up a younger man with short black hair. "Rall, cell #4." Rall had worked for a Zanarkand crime ring as their lead con-man for several years. When the ring was busted up, they gave Rall's name to the government and he chose to come clean. After a half a year in jail, he was given the opportunity to join the military as a reconnaissance officer. He had already been to Bevelle once, though never found his way into the central building. He was one of the best liars Kijo had ever seen. He could easily trust him to handle himself and his cell in Bevelle.

"Alright," Kijo sighed. "And in charge of cell #5," He swept his eyes over the soldiers again. "Luna, step up." He pointed to an older woman with long blonde hair who nodded and stepped up. She was an outstanding technician as well as a brilliant mage. Two jobs that didn't often mix.

When the five cell leaders were positioned beside him, he continued. "From this point forward, you will all be assigned to one of us. I am entrusting each of these four with the same authority that I have. You will listen to them as though receiving orders from Lord Yevon himself." Kijo looked grimly over the remaining soldiers. "The teams will not specialize in any specific area but must be split as evenly possible over all possible aptitudes so you may all work separately. I'll be assigning you to your cells now. First, my cell."

When all the assignments had been finished, Kijo looked over his work carefully. In his group, a younger man named Brahv would be the demolitions expert. A man about his age, Roy, would be the resident mage, black and white. A younger woman named Solene who had a knack for stealth and reconnaissance. And finally Shuyin.

Kijo wasn't entirely sure why he had chosen Shuyin to accompany him, but it seemed proper. The remaining cells were set up in a similar fashion with representations of the major aspects of infiltration. Kijo was happy with the assignments.

"When we leave this tent," he turned to the other four cells. "I cease to be your commanding officer." He began walking again, pacing slowly through the dimly lit tent. "We are moving separately. We will have little to no contact the further we infiltrate Bevelle." He stopped and turned to face them. "I can not stress enough right now, if you find yourselves in a compromising position, get out of Bevelle. Cell leaders, I am entrusting you to make that decision. We can't have any of us being captured. You have lives in your hands that you can't be risking.

"Remember at all times that we want to make as little commotion as possible while in Bevelle. It can be assumed that this secret machina is under heavy guard. If we bring attention to ourselves, it will most likely result in our inability to reach it. Stealth is key."

He looked at the men and drew himself up in a slow salute. "That's all I have to say. Good luck, to you all."

The twenty soldiers of the remaining four cells raised their hands in a slow salute and gradually left the tent. When they were gone, only Kijo and his four soldiers remained. Kijo turned to them with a weary smile and said, "So…let's decide how we're going to do this, yeah?"

The five settled down in the tent and Kijo pulled the map of the Great Plains out from a nearby desk, spreading it out before them. The map had the main points where bunkers and other outposts had been set up both by Bevelle soldiers and Zanarkand forces.

The five of them carefully inspected the map and after a few moments, Solene spoke. "The easiest way to get in would be to steal uniforms and pose as a five man unit." Kijo nodded slowly.

"Sometimes…the simplest plans do work best," he admitted. In the midst of battle, it was likely for them to be able to steal uniforms and just make their way back to the main base and then to Bevelle. Kijo silently offered a thank you to the fact that they weren't fighting Ronso or Guado and could easily pose as people from Bevelle.

"But…" Roy's high, almost womanly voice interrupted Kijo's thoughts. "How are we going to capture five Bevelle soldiers and then 'retreat' while making it seem as though we are members of Bevelle?"

Kijo rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He looked down at the map and ran his eyes over the various marked bunkers. After some deep thought, his eyes widened and he reached out. "Here." His finger fell on a large Zanarkand bunker on the front lines. "Right here…" his mind was racing. "We make our way here and…I can demand the forces inside to retreat to different outposts. With the bunker to ourselves, we wire it with low grade explosives." He looked at Brahv who nodded slowly.

"Bunkers of this size usually have a hidden underground compartment. We set off a false bomb and under cover of the smoke and dust, get into the compartment. The Bevelle forces will see it as an explosives malfunction. Soon enough, they'll be sending a unit to take the base. When they've settled in, Brahv, you pull the trigger on the real explosives.

"The Bevelle soldiers who had come in will be knocked out, probably killed. Then, we get out, steal the uniforms and emerge from the dust and smoke as wounded soldiers. We'll want to pick up a Bevelle body and bring it along as well. Then we'll make our way back to Bevelle for medical attention."

Kijo leaned back. The other four were silent for a while, thinking carefully. After several minutes, Brahv spoke, his voice deep and wise. "That would work. I can rig the explosives so that they don't all die. We can bring one of the living soldiers to a Bevelle medical outpost and explain that it was a trap bunker, as it was."

"It'll work." Shuyin's voice pierced through the conversation. "The hard part will be getting to that bunker. The way things sound right now," he jerked his head toward the tent flap. "There are an awful lot of explosions, we'll have a hard time getting out that far."

Kijo nodded solemnly. "So we should get moving now then, no time to waste."

The group took some time to gather the supplies needed and gathered by the southern end of the antechamber. Kijo breathed in heavily, listening to the explosions and gun fire from beyond the twists in the great stone walls. It had been a while since he had been in a real battle.

"Ok…ready?" He asked his men over the distant booms and crashes. They all nodded. "You all remember the route…so let's go!" Kijo took off at a light jog. The cliff walls enveloped him as he ran forward. His blood was pumping faster now and he could feel his muscles tensing for the upcoming rush.

It happened suddenly, one moment the sounds of battle were miles away, the next he was being sprayed with dirt and sand from a nearby explosion. The cliff walls opened up to give way to an enormous, flat field. The grass was sparse, having been mostly upturned by scorch marks and bombs. The air was heavy with the smoke from guns.

It was loud.

Kijo began moving faster. His legs were carrying him through the open space like something inhuman. Behind him, he could hear the other soldiers in his unit rushing after him. Fifty feet ahead, the tented canvas of a bunker could be seen. He ran forward, sprayed by dirt and whipped by pebbles. The earth shook as the ground rose and burst not too far away from him.

And then it was over. He dove into the shelter and was followed by four more bodies. They huddled up against the wall, feeling themselves subconsciously for wounds that clearly weren't there.

Kijo could almost feel the adrenaline pumping through him. His ears were sharper, picking up the individual sounds of gunfire. He was breathing heavily. Above him, several other soldiers were peeking over the sandbags that lined the battle side of the bunker. They didn't spare the new men and woman a glance as they sighted down their barrels and pulled the trigger again.

Kijo looked over at his unit. Everyone was there, Brahv, Shuyin, Roy, and Solene. After a few deft hand signals, he leaned out of the safety of shelter and exited it. He was running again, dashing toward the next bunker. There were three that they needed to reach, this being the second. More explosions, yelling, gunfire, and then shelter again.

He looked up and soon enough was joined by his unit. There was a brief pause and then they were moving again. Kijo leapt from the second bunker. His feet landed on the scarred earth and almost immediately, he felt time slow. The gunfire stopped for a split second and a deafening crash was heard. Kijo turned his head and it felt as though his muscles were made of glue.

"YSLS!!" A shout could be heard from the bunker he had just left. Kijo wanted to turn back but his momentum carried him forward and he knew then that he couldn't stop. Across the field, a large thing began to run across the wide plains. Its arms were large and stone and reached down to the ground where they were dragged through the dirt. This was one of the machina that Bevelle had at its disposal.

Kijo was still running when he got the indescribable feeling that it had targeted him. There was no way to outrun these things. Their giant stone fists would find and crush a man. The only weapon that could easily dispose of them, were Aeons, and Kijo did not see any around.

"Fuck," he said softly. Stopping where he stood, he reached into his pack and pulled out a few hand bombs. "Alright then," he whispered, "Let's do it …"

Running forward, he pulled the pin on one of the grenades and tossed it out toward the oncoming machina. It bounced over the cracked earth and stopped a ways off from Kijo. The machina didn't change course or even slow as it lumbered forward, swinging its arms in an almost animalistic way.

Looking back on the bunker he had just come from, he waved to his unit to hurry and run to the target bunker. Solene, Brahv and Roy nodded and dashed out from the shelter, staying low.

The YSLS was almost on top of the grenade when it exploded. The great machina was thrown backwards, stumbling to regain its balance. Kijo watched it, hoping that it would fall.

From out of nowhere, Shuyin came darting forward. He flew past Kijo, rushing forward and stealing a hand bomb from him as he sprinted past. The YSLS finally caught its footing and was about to right itself when Shuyin jumped forward, landing on its chest. The enormous machina teetered back even further and then crashed to the ground. Shuyin held on as it fell and then reached forward, stuffing the grenade in between the one of the plates covering the leg joints of the machina.

The blond haired corporal dove off of the stone giant and scrambled away. It rose up and pushed itself to its feet. Finally, it shook itself and began to run after him as he made his way to the bunker. Kijo watched, awestruck as the grenade finally exploded, tearing both the legs off of the great machina and sending it crashing to the ground.

There was silence for a few seconds and then an explosion rocked the earth again, only fifteen feet from where Kijo stood. Shaking himself out of shock, he took off again, darting to the target bunker and diving in after Shuyin.

After catching his breath, Kijo looked at Shuyin. "That was insane."

Shuyin smiled and looked back at Kijo. "Maybe a little bit."

Kijo blinked and then laughed. "I doubt that Lenne would approve if she knew you were pulling stunts like that."

The corners of Shuyin's mouth lowered slightly and his face turned very serious. "No…probably not. But I'm not about to die until I know she's safe."


	9. The Start of Deception

Some more action and trickery here. The plans are beginning to fall into place. Kijo makes a good tactician, doesn't he? The idea of a highly elite unit working together to just…completely fool other people really appeals to me. I hope it's obvious to your readers what's going on. I'd hate to confuse you. Not so sure I did a great job on this chapter. Please give constructive criticism and let me know what I can do to make it better.

I disclaim the things I don't own.

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Chapter 8

The Start of Deception

All the members of his cell had made it to the bunker in the middle of the field. To his relief, Kijo found that the trench did have an underground compartment big enough to fit them all. After some hasty negotiations and ordering, he got the soldiers in the bunker to listen to him.

"Alright, I don't have much time to explain this but we're drawing the enemy into a trap and we need your help for this." Kijo pointed to Brahv who was already at work wiring small bombs that could be triggered by remote. "Brahv is going to set some low grade explosives throughout the bunker. When I give the signal, all of you run like hell to the nearest outpost." He paused. "The nearest one should be outpost C over there," he pointed.

"After you've all run, we're going to detonate the explosives. To the enemy, this is going to look like someone accidentally set off the gunpowder or something. They're going to jump on the opportunity to snag some extra ground. My men and I will be hiding below. When there are enough Bevelle soldiers above, we'll detonate the second array of explosives, knocking out whoever is inside at the time. At this point, you can rush back to the bunker and take it for yourselves. We'll be gone. Do not pursue any Bevelle soldiers you see fleeing the premise." He stood up and looked over the Zanarkand soldiers. "Do you understand?"

They looked at each other for a moment, but finally saluted. "Yes, Commander, sir!"

Kijo nodded. "Very well." He turned to his cell. "Shuyin, Roy, Solene, into the hatch, now. Strip down to undergarments." He glanced at Solene. "You understand I'm sure."

Solene nodded. "Of course, sir. Speed is key after all."

Kijo nodded. "We're leaving all but basic equipment behind. If things go smoothly, we'll be supplied by those Bevellians themselves."

"Sir!" they shouted as they stepped down into the hole.

"Brahv," he turned to the man as he clipped another wire into place. "How much longer will it take?"

The man pulled a small remote from his pocket and turned a dial. "That should do it. I've set up both the first and second round."

"They won't set each other off?"

"No sir. But they'll kick up one hell of a dust storm."

"Great." Kijo turned to the other occupants of the foxhole. "Ok men, you know what to do. Do it screaming." The soldiers saluted and after a few seconds, jumped out the back side of the bunker. They scrambled out over the cracked earth running toward the other bunker. "Brahv, we're going down."

Kijo jumped down the hole followed closely by Brahv. "Shuyin, Solene, Roy, everyone here?"

"Yes sir!"

"Great," He reached up and pulled the cord of the hatch above. "Brahv, go for it."

There was a click, followed immediately by silence. Then, in the space it took for them to breathe, the ground above their heads shuddered and a booming crash echoed through the dark hole.

Kijo raised an eyebrow. "Is that what only one of the rounds should sound like? That was pretty loud."

"Sir, with all due respect, I know what I'm doing. And yes…that's just the sound of the first round," Brahv said with a confident tone.

"Alright," Kijo said hesitantly. "In that case, strip down to undergarments. We need to be able to just jump right in when we get up there."

After undressing himself, Kijo listened closely to the ground above him. After a few minutes, the sound of rapid gunfire was heard and then loud footsteps. Muffled voices could be heard above. Kijo stepped up the ladder and laid his ear against the ceiling above him.

"What's it look like to you? Explosions malfunction?"

"Now?" Brahv's voice could be heard in the dark.

"No, wait for my command." Kijo hissed.

Above them, the voices continued. Kijo quietly counted the number of different voices he could make out. "There's no one here."

"Yea, but you saw them run away, didn't you?" There were three now…

"Haha, yea. Those Zanarks must be pretty damn stupid to blow themselves up."

That confirmed that it was Bevelle soldiers above. Four at least…

"Shut up, keep your eyes open, they'll be trying to take it back. This post is important."

A fifth…

"Of course…alright you two, go back to base and tell them to send sandbags."

"Now!" Kijo hissed.

There was another explosion, this one accompanied by pained screams. Above him, several dull thuds shook the ground after the detonation. "Alright! Let's move! We've got a good thirty seconds before the dust starts settling!"

His hand shot up, pushing the hatch to the side. A body had fallen across it and it rolled to the side as the hatch pushed it aside. Kijo leapt up and out and dove on the nearest Bevelle soldier. He removed the uniform quickly and slipped it on over himself before grabbing his machine gun and strapping it over his shoulder.

When he looked up, the rest of his unit was almost done. He grabbed his bloody soldier and tossed him into the hatch below. "Any without clothes, you throw in there," he ordered. "Roy! As soon as they're in there, set them on fire and close the hatch. We want as little evidence as possible." He turned to Shuyin. "How many are left?"

"Just two."

"Leave one, grab the other. We're taking him to the Bevelle medic station."

"Yes sir!"

His orders were carried out quickly and when the dust settled, they were running out the other side, clothed in the uniforms of the enemy and carrying their wounded. They made their way forward and stumbled into a nearby bunker, breathing heavily and acting dizzy. Kijo turned around as he ran and fired off wild shots with his machine gun.

When he reached the nearest Bevelle outpost, Roy was already talking. His speech was jumbled and confusing. Imitating shell-shock…Kijo hadn't thought of that…

"Alright!" One of the Bevelle soldiers grabbed him and held Roy still. "You've got shell-shock, soldier! Calm down, get back to the medical tent, now!" He turned to face Kijo. "You, how steady are you right now?" Kijo shook his head.

"Things are spinning…I…I don't know where the medic tent is…but we've got a man down here."

Shuyin finally dragged the wounded soldier into the bunker. The other soldier blinked and cursed. "Shit, alright." He turned to another, shorter soldier. "Lamont, bring them back to base. All six of them, and hurry. They're a liability out here."

Kijo faked a dizzy salute. "Thank you, sir!"

"Just get out of here!"

Lamont gathered them and began running back toward the hill that led to the Bevelle base. "What happened out there?"

Roy babbled something unintelligible. Kijo could barely hold back a smile as he translated. "The bunker…it was a trap. They rigged it with explosives…fucking Zanarks…"

Lamont sneered. "Yeah…the bastards." He turned. "But hey, you survived right?"

"We'll pay 'em back though."

"Hell yea."

"Especially when we finish that machina."

Lamont turned as they ran, giving Kijo a funny look. "There hasn't been a new machina in production since the YAU units…" he shook his head. "You must have some pretty bad shell-shock."

Kijo stopped talking as they ran. After a few minutes, they reached the medical tent and dropped off the wounded soldier. The medic took his pulse and shook his head. "I'm sorry…he must have died in the explosion."

"Fuck!" Kijo kicked at the ground and lowered his head. "FUCKING HELL!"

Brahv stepped forward and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down…" he started. Kijo shook him off and backed away like a cornered animal.

"Calm down? How the hell am I supposed to calm down!" His eyes flitted back and forth like a beast. "He's dead! That could have been me!"

Shuyin, who had been staring down at the dead soldier. Suddenly backed away quickly. He reached up and clutched at his head and began screaming.

Kijo pointed a shaking finger at him. "See! That's what this does to people! WE ALL COULD HAVE DIED!" He turned away. They were following his lead…that was good. "I have family in Bevelle…I could have never seen them again!"

Lamont strode forward. "Calm down, soldier! This is no time to-"

"SHUT UP, LAMONT!" He forced tears into his eyes. "Fuck…fuck fuck _FUCK_! I need to get out of here!" There was an explosion from below. Shuyin screamed and Roy flinched. Solene fell to the ground, covering her head.

The doctor leaned forward and laid a hand on Brahv's shoulder. "They're experiencing a severe case of shell-shock…I don't have the time to deal with them. Please, take care of them, you were with them at the time."

"Sure thing, sir." Brahv nodded and stepped toward Kijo. "Listen to me…it's going to be ok…we're still alive."

"I don't care…I don't care!" Shuyin stumbled over toward Kijo and was joined by Solene and Roy. "I'm not going back in there…we're not ever going back in there!" Kijo turned and ran out of the tent followed by Shuyin and then Solene and Roy.

Brahv took after them but stopped at the flap and turned back to Lamont. "I'm…sorry for their behavior…I will do my best to bring them back to their senses and back to the battlefield."

Lamont nodded solemnly. "Alright…I understand."

Brahv ran out of the tent and then ran after Kijo as he led them out of the Great Plains and into Macalania Forest. They drew stares from soldiers and other members of Bevelle's army. As they ran, Brahv shouted the reason for their interruption and was met with weary shakes of the head and sad, understanding nods.

Kijo led them past all the tents and past the entrance to Bevelle, further into Macalania and keeping an eye out for where they ran. When there were no more signs of Bevelle soldiers, he stopped and caught his breath.

With a smile, he removed the uniform's headgear and laid it on a nearby branch. "Well done." He laughed. "We're past the worst of it now." He leaned back against a large root of an enormous tree. "We'll rest here for a while and then move out again. Start thinking about how we're to get into the heart of Bevelle." He shook his head and dust and dirt fell from his hair. "Lamont didn't know a thing about this machina we're after so…if it's really here…they're keeping it under wraps."

His hands reached over his head and he stretched out against the tree behind him. "Now get some rest. We've got a hard trip ahead of us…no need to rush things."


	10. Keys and Clues

Here's another one. I'm pretty happy with it. I'm trying to move this a bit faster. Get Kijo and Shuyin really moving forward. I want to get to the more awesome parts sooner is what it really comes down to. I hope I'm not rushing things too fast though. I wasn't very happy with the last chapter. I might edit it later. Or maybe not.

I disclaim that which I don't own.

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Chapter 9

Keys and Clues

After a few hours of resting in the forest, Kijo gathered them all together and sat at the edge of a silent pond. "So…anyone have any brilliant ideas?" Roy looked at him with surprise and Shuyin shook his head with a smile. Brahv smirked and looked out over the still water. Solene remained silent for a minute and then began to speak slowly.

"There are…two aspects to this," she said, staring at the ground in front of her. Her dark brown hair fell over her face and she reached up to tuck it back behind her ears. "It's going to be especially difficult to get information on something that not everyone in Bevelle knows about. If we just go and ask people…we'll draw attention to ourselves too quickly." She bit her lip lightly, eyes distant and removed from the scene. "But if we just go looking for it with the amount of info we have right now…well…we'll never even get close."

"So the trick is to always speak to the right people," Shuyin spoke up, looking down at Solene. "Is that what you're saying?"

Solene nodded, though she didn't look like she was really paying attention. "Yeah…but…there's no way of knowing who that is."

"Well…the higher up the chain we go…the more likely they'll be to know about it, right?" Kijo spoke up. "So we just find some high ranking official and trick him into giving away information."

Solene shook her head. "No…not quite. When things this big go down…its usually done by a small group under the noses of the higher ups. That's not always the case…but often enough to make us give us some more trouble."

Kijo sneered and shook his head. "Damn…so how should we start this?"

"Well…" Roy piped up. "We should probably keep posing as soldiers. Bevelle soldiers are organized in units of seven." He pulled at the charred threads on his chest. "With these…we can easily pass for a unit who lost two members and was sent back to Bevelle to guard there."

Brahv nodded slowly. "And any technical questions they ask that we can't answer…we can just use the excuse of shell-shock."

Kijo pushed himself to his feet and placed his hands on his hips. "Alright then…so there's our starting point." He looked at the other members of his cell. "Once we get into Bevelle, we just have to keep an eye out for anything unusual and as soon as we get a chance, we make our move to get in further."

"Is that going to be enough?" Brahv asked slowly. "That seems like a little too little to be going into Bevelle with."

"Well what more can we do?" Shuyin responded. "We're not even sure if this machina exists, the first part is all recon."

Kijo nodded thoughtfully. "It's all we've got at the moment...aside from that we just need the basic array of fallback plans if we get split up or found out."

Roy spoke again, sounding slightly nervous. "What should our course of action be…if we get found?"

Kijo paused for a moment, thinking hard on it. "If…you are caught on your own, not part of the group, get out of Bevelle as soon as you can and just go back home." He looked at the ground. "At that point, you're on your own." The soldiers all nodded understandingly. "And…if we're caught as a unit…we get out as fast as possible…just because we are caught doesn't mean the other cells were. We shouldn't endanger them by being captured."

Silence spread over the five from Zanarkand. The crystal lake before them had no ripples and reflected the trees above perfectly. No one spoke the words that they were thinking. "And what if we are captured?" Because they all knew what they were supposed to do. For the sake of Zanarkand…say nothing, do nothing, and give your life if necessary.

"Ok," Kijo spoke softly, not wanting to break the peace of the scene. "To Bevelle then."

The five of them, still dressed in the burned and tattered gear of Bevelle soldiers stood up and began walking again. They followed the main road through the forest and soon enough came to the entrance of Bevelle. The forest ended abruptly, the crystal branches arcing over the divide, desperately reaching for the city and more land to grow.

The wonder known as the Highbridge stretched out before them. A perfectly straight path, carpeted and lined by reservoirs of perfectly clear water. It was the last line of defense for Bevelle. No cover was allotted to advancing forces, nowhere to run but forward. The only entrance.

Now, it was full of activity. Soldiers of all rank paced back and forth. Several others dressed in heavy robes paced back and forth, mages, awaiting orders. Machina lined the edges of the path.

Limping forward, leaning on Shuyin for support, Kijo began walking down the great bridge. Their group drew stares from other soldiers who looked at them and then turned away, shaking their heads. The walk took nearly half an hour at their slow pace. Finally, they reached the great wall at the end of the Highbridge where the single ornate door stood.

Several Bevelle soldiers, armed with rifles stood and eyed them carefully. One with a particularly elaborate helmet stepped forward. "Hold," he said simply. Kijo stopped as did the rest of the group. He pulled on Shuyin to raise himself higher and look the soldier in the eye. The soldier stepped forward lazily. "State your business."

Kijo nodded and patted Shuyin on the shoulder who looked at him with concern but let go. Kijo stumbled forward slightly but caught himself and drew himself up in a shaky salute. "Sir! My unit was caught in a trap laid by the enemy, two of our number is dead and…well…" He glanced back at Roy who was holding his head and shaking dizzily. "Two of them developed bad cases of shell-shock."

The soldier sighed. "I can see that, soldier." He motioned toward Brahv with his rifle. "But I asked you what your business was, not why you look like crap."

Kijo blinked and nodded fervently. "Oh, yes sir, of course, sir." He laughed nervously. "Our commanding officer saw it fit to send us back to headquarters. These two," he pointed at Brahv and Roy again. "Are to be given time off to recover and the rest of us are to be reassigned when we've had our injuries looked at."

The soldier at the door let go of his rifle with one hand and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Kijo watched him silently, his face confident and a perfect mask for the roiling tempest of worry inside him.

"Reassigning, huh?" The soldier nodded slowly. "Alright. Get on in there." He pointed back at the door behind him. Kijo bowed and suppressed a sigh of relief.

The five hurried forward, and waited for the great door to open for them. Slowly, it began to creak, great cogs and gears shifting inside the wall. The ornate doors opened slowly and with great purpose.

"Hey, soldier," the guard's voice interrupted Kijo's thoughts. Kijo turned around quickly and saluted again.

"Yes sir?"

"While you're in the reassignment office…do me a favor and tell Lieutenant Ivan that we need some more people for gate duty. Our shifts are too long right now. We need some rest."

Kijo nodded. "Of course, sir." The guard reached up and waved nonchalantly over his shoulder as he turned away. Kijo saluted one last time and then, still faking his limp, led his unit through the door and into the city of Bevelle.

Bevelle was awash with the light of midday. Kijo had heard from old books and old men, that Bevelle was a beautiful city, it reflected natural light and hardly ever needed its own to be made. This had always fascinated him, because Zanarkand spent so much time in the shadow of Mt. Gagazet, that the neon lights seemed more natural to him than the sun itself. Before them, buildings rose high over their heads. Trumping them all, however, was an enormous building that reached up to the sky. It felt to Kijo, that it was trying to compete with Gagazet.

There was not time to stare, however. The streets were alive with hustled movements of commoners and soldiers. To see soldiers of their city, gawking at their home in awe…well that would just be suspicious. Without a word, Kijo began to lead them through the crowded streets. They walked purposefully and the people of the city moved out of their way courteously. Some even smiled warmly at them with a kind of pity for their disheveled appearance.

They worked their way deeper and deeper into Bevelle. The streets gradually grew less crowded and the buildings stopped looking quite as impressive. Kijo could just remember a blueprint of Bevelle he had seen not too long ago. They were reaching the section of the slums before reaching the central building.

As with any city, wealth was not evenly distributed. Wealth attracted more gil, and the gil-less often remained so. It was not much different in Zanarkand. The houses that lined the streets gradually began to sag as they walked. The clothing on the people walking nearby grew shabbier as they continued.

After some walking, their surroundings began to change again. The houses grew prettier, the streets more well-taken care of, and the people held their heads higher. Above them, the sun was slowly retreating from the sky. A dusky half-light began spreading over Bevelle.

Before them, the central building rose high. This was the headquarters of Bevelle where all the highest officials rested. If the machina were anywhere…it would be in there. With an almost invisible nod, Kijo motioned for them all to enter the building. They walked confidently up to the door, nodding to the guards stationed by the entrance.

Shuyin took the lead, reaching forward and pushing the large doors open. A thin layer of mist spilled out of the dimly lit building and pooled around their feet. Kijo raised an eyebrow but walked inside after Shuyin.

Once inside, they drew several short stares and were quickly approached by an old, short, fidgety man with a small, concerned frown on his face. He stopped almost directly in front of Shuyin and crossed his arms, tapping his foot impatiently on the floor.

"Alright, alright, what is it this time? What are you here for? Well?"

Shuyin blinked. "Um..."

The short man shook his head and sighed. "Come on, come on. I don't have all day to listen to 'ah's and um's. Spit it out and move on, shall we?"

Shuyin nodded quickly and stood at attention. "Two of our number were killed and we are to report back to HQ to be reassigned."

"Is that all?" The man's response was crisp and to the point.

"No sir," Shuyin said just as quickly. The man rolled his eyes but Shuyin continued, ignoring it. "We were caught in a trap involving explosives and may have suffered internal damage, concussion, severe shellshock, etc. The doctors on the field suggest a week to recover," the short man glared at him. "With…um…well after the central medics inspect us and if they believe it necessary of course."

The twitchy man tapped his foot two more times loudly and uncrossed his arms, digging into his pocket. There was a loud jingle, as though his pocket was full to the brim with gil. From it, he withdrew a bronze key which he handed to Shuyin.

"Alright, you'll be needing new uniforms of course, and report to the medics as soon as possible." Then, without another word, he turned on his heel and walked off, pockets jingling loudly and his feet making the mist swirl madly.

Kijo and his unit stood there for a moment, recovering from the irate official. Another soldier who was walking by smirked and stepped forward. "Someone's really gotta cast a Slow spell on ol' Orman." He smiled a friendly smile and held his hand out to Shuyin. "Name's Holtz, nice to meet you. Looks to me like this was your first time speaking with Orman."

Shuyin nodded dumbly and then smiled back at Holtz, taking his hand warmly. "Yea, I've never seen him before. We've…been out in the Great Plains for a while now. I'm Shuyin." Kijo mentally approved of Shuyin giving his real name. No one here would have heard of any of them. It would only complicate matters to give fake names. Shuyin turned and motioned at the other four of them. "This is Kijo, Solene, Brahv, and Roy."

Holtz shook Kijo's hand and nodded to the rest of them who were too far away to reach. "So…five of you…guess you lost two." He shook his head. "I'm sorry to hear that."

Kijo nodded solemnly. "They were…good soldiers. But…people die in war, no need to dwell on it." Holtz smiled understandingly. Kijo raised his head, looking at Holtz. "So how long has Orman worked here?"

"Oh gosh…I don't know, maybe like…forever?" Holtz laughed. "He's been around for a long time. He's just in an out of the public eye a lot. He's a strange guy. But if you ever need to know something, you ask him."

Kijo exchanged a split second look with Shuyin.

"He was recently put in charge of all the keys in the place. That's why he jingles everywhere he goes." Holtz explained. "Personally, I think the guys a nutcase…but he obviously knows what he's doing, I mean…he's always leading soldiers around, taking them places. So someone must think he knows what he's doing." The young man paused and then laughed. "Listen to me though! Rambling on like a nitwit! I'm sorry…you must want to go get your new uniforms."

Kijo nodded, hardly listening to Holtz now, his mind ablaze with thought.

"Well, alright. You get going. If you have some free time, I'm over in the west wing. My room is #22. Feel free to drop by if you have questions about HQ. Things change a lot, if you guys have been out on the field for a while, you might not be able to find everything." Holtz smiled and patted Shuyin on the shoulder. "Well that's enough from me. Good luck with getting that week off. See you around."

Holtz waved and trotted off, leaving wide trails in the misty smoke. Kijo watched him go and suppressed a grin as he turned and nodded at the other soldiers from Zanarkand. Things were going better than he could have dreamed. Holtz seemed to be a wealth of basic knowledge…and this keeper of the keys, Orman…well…Kijo figured he could merit some watching.

"Ok everyone…let's go get those uniforms, huh?" Kijo looked at Solene pointedly. She didn't even need to be told what was going to happen. After this…it would be up to her to follow Orman and find out what was going on. Kijo looked at the men of the unit, Brahv was stoic as ever. The edges of Roy's mouth were turned upwards ever so slightly. When Kijo looked at Shuyin though, he felt the same tremor of unease.

The blond haired boy's face was a perfect mask of indifference. Nothing moved and for all intents and purposes, he looked as emotionless as a stone. Kijo grinned uncomfortably and chuckled softly. "What's up Shuyin? Aren't you glad to be back at HQ?"

Shuyin blinked, as though coming out of a deep trance. He faced Kijo and smiled widely. "Yeah, of course I am." His face dropped slightly. "I was just…thinking about Lenne…is all." The sadness in his voice was palpable. Kijo remained silent for a moment but then raised an arm and placed it on Shuyin's shoulder.

"Hey, I'm sure she's just fine. I mean…my friend Majo is the one training her after all. You've got nothing to worry about. He'll treat her well."

Shuyin's eyes flashed dangerously again for a split second and then returned to normal. With a grin, he nodded. "Alright then. Let's go get some new clothes already. I'm tired of the draft from these blast holes."

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Oh, and be ready for something different next chapter.


	11. Black Mage, White Lies

So here's that surprise I was telling you about. Hope you like it. I'll throw more commentary in on the bottom. I don't want to give away the surprise you've already figured out.

I disclaim what I don't own.

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Chapter 10

Black Mage, White Lies

"Ifrit advanced squad, Delta Formation, _go!_"

Six men, dressed in traditional mage gear stood in a line, facing out over a large field. In unison, they closed their eyes and took a step back, throwing their arms out like wings and then bringing them together again. Sparks flew out from their connected palms and rose into the sky. One by one, the red sparks flared and connected over the men's heads until they formed six fiery circles.

The circles flashed bright light and suddenly were spinning rapidly. They moved like gyroscopes in the sky until they looked like whirling balls of fire, large enough to fit two grown men. The six men stepped forward, stomping on the ground and all at once, the balls of fire exploded, sending fire in all directions but below toward the men.

Above them, floating for a brief second before falling to the ground, six identical beasts with large onyx horns and fiery red manes appeared. They hit the ground and let out a wild howl that that shook the field.

The men did not look back at the beasts that now stood behind them. They rushed forward, the outermost two dashing out on a diagonal while the two centermost ran straight ahead. The beasts followed closely, bounding over the rough terrain.

Without a word, two of the men stopped. Their respective creatures moved forward, throwing a hand behind them where a blazing flame formed. In a single fluid motion, the fire was hurled forward, flying out past the two men in the center who stopped and ducked, thrusting their hands out in front of them.

Their monsters leapt over them and charged forward, summoning fire to their own clawed fists and lashing out at invisible enemies. Passing them, the final two men and their partners dashed forward. When the men stopped, the beasts leapt high into the air and then crashed down in front of them, overturning a large slab of earth that tilted up like a bizarre makeshift wall.

One of the outermost creatures threw another fireball. It whizzed over the field and crashed into one of the chunks of upturned earth, blowing it to pieces. The shards of mud and stone flew out and embedded themselves in the ground.

"Alright! Alright…" Majo stepped out from the shelter of a large stone wall. "Enough, dismiss your aeons." The six men turned and bowed, one of them was blushing furiously with embarrassment.

Majo walked hurriedly toward the men, motioning for the other twenty three summoners who had been standing behind the wall to follow. His cloak trailed as he walked and he ran a tired hand through his long silver hair.

"That was good for the most part…" he began slowly. "But," he turned to face the summoner who's Ifrit had thrown the rogue fireball, "what happened out there?"

The summoner shifted back and forth on his feet uncomfortably. "Well…I…I guess I just lost my concentration."

Majo sighed. "You lost your concentration? That is completely unacceptable." He shook his head in disgust. "If we were in an actual battle right now, losing your concentration can lose lives."

The summoner nodded and looked down at the ground, embarrassed. "Of course, Majo, sir. It won't happen again."

"Good, see to it." Majo turned to the rest of the Ifrit advanced squad. These were the six men who were most adept at controlling the aeon Ifrit. Over the course of training so far, he had been able to narrow down the large amount of summoners into various categories depending on their skill and aptitude with the various aeons. There were three units for each aeon. The advanced, intermediate and beginner squads. He had a few smaller squads for summoners who were either highly skilled with a few or all the aeons, and of course a pool of floundering summoners who could hardly hold their aeon for more than five minutes.

"Other than that, how are you all feeling? Any fatigue or anything else out of the ordinary to report?" The six men shook their heads. "Very well, report to field C and summon your aeons. Spend some quality time with them. They aren't weapons…we need to earn their cooperation, though I'm sure you know that already."

"Yes sir!" The six men bowed and jogged off to training field C. Majo watched them go and then turned to the remaining summoners.

"Division 1," he glanced over the group, "step forward, please."

The first division was his name for the most talented summoners. So far, he had only found three summoners with such ability. The first was to be expected. Lady Yunalesca, the daughter of Lord Yu Yevon. She had been raised as a summoner by the greatest summoner of all time, her father. She was one of the most talented individuals he had ever seen, the only summoner who could summon three aeons at once. No other summoner in the unit could handle the strain of summoning the Magus Sisters.

The second summoner was also to be expected. Another noble of Zanarkand. Zaon was second only to his wife Yunalesca. He was kind and strong, but overprotective of his beautiful partner. This caused trouble on occasion with Majo as Zaon was not keen on him ordering Yunalesca around like a regular soldier. Nevertheless, he was reliable and an excellent summoner.

The final candidate for the first division of summoners had surprised Majo. A very popular songstress by the name of Lenne (Majo tended to be behind the pop culture of Zanarkand) had proven herself to be a miraculous summoner. Her summonings were almost like a dance and her aeons seemed to move with a grace that he did not see in the others.

"How are you all feeling? Were you all able to sleep?" Majo asked them this because he had ordered them to attempt to summon and then sleep while maintaining their summoned aeon. It was an experiment both in stamina and feasibility.

"We slept well, thank you," Zaon bowed slightly. "Bahamut may have grown bored but he was there when we awoke and I felt rested enough."

Yunalesca nodded, smiling at her husband. "Yes, the Sisters had a boring night, but they too were there in the morning." She laughed a beautiful, silvery laugh. "Mindy had actually crawled into bed with us and was cuddling Zaon when I woke up."

Zaon smiled and blushed. "It was quite a surprise actually."

Majo did not smile or even blink. The scene was heartwarming. The couple was perfect together and upon looking at them, there was no doubt of their love, but Majo could not smile when he saw Yunalesca. She reminded him of her father…and when he thought of Lord Yevon it reminded him of…

Majo shivered. When he had composed himself he turned to Lenne. "And Lenne?"

The brown haired songstress nodded. "Yes sir, it was fine. I summoned Bahamut before going to bed and let him spend the night flying around my quarters. He returned in the morning."

"And none of you are particularly tired today? Majo raised an eyebrow looking upon the three. They shook their heads, pleased with the new discovery. Majo nodded approvingly. "Very well then." He turned his attention from the first division and focused it on the remaining summoners. "Please report to your respective fields and continue practicing your maneuvers. Remember to keep a log of how long you can hold your aeon before becoming fatigued. That is all."

The summoners bowed and saluted and then walked away to the different fields on which they trained. When he had watched them go, Majo returned his gaze back to the first division. "Zaon, Lenne, take this time to practice executing the blitz maneuver. Alternate between land and sky positions. I must speak with Lady Yunalesca."

Zaon and Lenne bowed and turned walking out to the middle of the field, exchanging a few words and then each summoning a different aeon. Lenne summoned and quickly mounted the large unicorn known as Ixion while Zaon brought forth the majestic Valefor which he stroked lovingly and then mounted. The two summoners faced the far end of the field and took off, riding their aeons as they flew over the long field. They moved like wind and the grace of the otherworldly creatures was overwhelming.

"Supervisor Majo, what is it you had wanted to speak to me about?"

Majo was shook from the stunning sight of the two aeons and their riders by Yunalesca's perfect voice. "Ah, yes," he mumbled. He had been meaning to ask Yunalesca about her father for some time now. He wondered how much she knew of his plans and of what might one day become of Zanarkand. He worried, however, that she knew nothing of it, and if this was the case…he could not have her telling her father that he had spoken of the secret.

"Lady Yunalesca…how is your father?" he asked uncomfortably.

The silver-haired woman blinked and laughed again. "He is well, why do you ask?"

Majo frowned. It had been the answer he was expecting…but it was still frustrating to hear. "I have not seen him in person for some time now. There have been rumors that he has locked himself in his rooms and refuses to see anyone. There is speculation that he has gone mad…though…I suppose they aren't true."

Yunalesca shook her head, her gorgeous hair shimmering as it shook. "No…they aren't true…at least…not entirely." Majo raised an eyebrow and glanced at Yunalesca. A hardly perceptible frown had reached her lips and gave her a melancholy appearance. "My father hasn't gone mad. He has just been very distant for some time now. Even when he speaks to me…it feels strange, like I've never met him before." She looked out over the field where Zaon and his Valefor were landing. "I've spoken to Zaon about it and he agrees but…he just attributes it to my father's old age."

Majo nodded slowly. So she knew nothing then? "I see…I am sorry to hear that, Lady Yunalesca." If his own daughter knew nothing of his plans…then why had he been told? "You may go rejoin Zaon and Lenne."

"Of course, sir."

Majo did not watch her as she left. He turned his eyes skyward and leaned against the stone wall, his mind a mess with strewn about thoughts. Yu Yevon had told him of his plans…but not his own daughter. They are not an estranged family, they are well known for being close. It didn't makes sense…he had told him…and Zanar, though he appeared to be behind Yevon already…he hadn't told his daughter or Kijo, who's mission was of such vital importance to his plan. It wasn't logical, no matter how he looked at it. What was his reason for telling Majo about the possible…no, _probable_ destruction of all of-

"Majo, sir?"

Majo was struck from his thoughts by the pretty voice of the young songstress. Lenne stood in front of him, looking up at him with deep hazel eyes. Majo started in surprise but composed himself quickly. "Lenne…what is it?"

The songstress smiled a nervous smile and looked down at the ground. "Um…I'm sorry to bother you…but I had a question."

"What is it?" Majo decided to humor her, but wasn't really listening. His mind was still full with unanswered questions that went deeper and deeper and really couldn't be answered. The more he thought about it, the more it ate at him. They gnawed, as all the worst things do, at the very center of his being, moving their way out like termites. He was being hollowed out and it frightened him.

"Well…" Lenne spoke again. "Someone very close to me left Zanarkand a few days ago. He had said he was going out on a mission that would last a while. He…didn't say what kind of mission it was…or how dangerous it was…but…something about the way he talked to me told me he was keeping the danger from me so I wouldn't be afraid."

Majo looked at her carefully, unsure where she was going with this.

"His name is Shuyin and…he's a corporal."

Majo made the connection in a second. He remembered the outburst from the young blond-haired corporal in the meeting that day. He had stood up in protest when they had announced the summoner plan. Now he knew why. He was in love with this girl, Lenne, and was afraid of what would happen if she were ever to go to battle.

"Well…he told me that he was being led by a man named Kijo…" Lenne continued. "At first, when they told me I'd be working under you, Supervisor Majo, I thought that maybe Shuyin had made a mistake and said Ki instead of Ma…but…that was just sort of silly I know."

Shuyin had been put in the group to go investigate and destroy the machina in Bevelle. Why had he agreed to that? He could have easily been put in the guard unit meant to follow the summoners. If their investigation takes too long, the summoners would be sent to battle and he would be no where near her. What kind of way was that to protect the woman he loved? It didn't make sense…Majo felt like he was missing something. Some crucial piece…

"Anyway…I'm sure you must know who Kijo is. You're a high ranking official and all, you probably know most people. I was just wondering…if you know this Kijo person…can you tell me if he is…reliable?" She smiled sadly up at Majo. "I'm just…" her face drooped and her eyes grew watery. She blinked and a single tear escaped and slid down her cheek. Her face grew red and she looked down at the ground, embarrassed. "I'm just so worried that he's going to die!"

Of course he was going to die. Going to Bevelle was suicide. Majo stared at the sad young songstress and felt amazed at his lack of empathy toward her. This was sad…and he felt nothing? What had happened to him? He glanced down at his hands. What had happened to him?

The light in the sky above caught in his white ring and reflected into his eyes. It was still white. That meant Kijo was still alive. A smile crossed his lips. It's funny…he was so certain that this Shuyin was going to die in Bevelle…but the notion of Kijo never coming back hadn't even crossed his mind. What was so different about those two to make him believe so completely in Kijo's return? Their will to live? That had to be it. Kijo's goal wasn't the alleged machina in the depths of Bevelle. His goal was to walk back down the northern side of Mt. Gagazet and back through the gates of Zanarkand.

And Shuyin…Majo shivered. The glint in that man's eye was something different. His eyes…were not so different from Yu Yevons. His eyes showed a search for the ability to protect. He wanted to protect her. That's all he wanted. To protect Lenne. Not to be with her, not to live with her, not to die with her. He only wanted to protect her. And that…is dangerous.

Majo reached out with numb fingers and laid a heavy hand on Lenne's shoulder. To his relief, she did not turn. When he spoke, his voice sounded empty and dead, though he doubted anyone else could hear it.

"Kijo is a great man. He isn't about to let the people under him die." He looked down at her as her sobs slowly began to stop. For the first time in a while, he felt something inside him. It was sadness. The feeling was faint, but it was there. He could feel his own concern for her. Because of this, when he lied, he could do it with sincerity.

"Shuyin is going to be alright, I'm sure of it."

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So what do you think? You've been wondering what's going on with Majo on the home front. Well here's what it is. I like how I'm throwing in other characters like Zaon and Yunalesca. Lenne also. How am I doing in writing her? She was never explained very much. I just assume that she's a bit like Yuna.

One last thing. I hope it's obvious by this point that Majo is slowly going insane. It's hard to do that, a gradual progression into madness. So much easier to just make someone snap. Anyway, if you can't tell…I need to work harder. Tell me what you think about it.


	12. Death Through Revelations

So here's another chapter for you. I know I've been working a bit more slowly lately. Please forgive me. I hope this makes up for it. I don't have much to say about it though. We're getting into the meat of stuff now.

I disclaim what I don't own.

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Chapter 11

Death Through Revelations

Night came to Bevelle and Kijo and his unit were stationed in their respective quarters. There was a small window that Kijo took a brief glance through. Outside, it was dark. Very dark. This wasn't a common occurrence in Zanarkand. Night-time there was accompanied with brighter neon lights that lit the whole place like the middle of the day. Kijo sighed. He missed the lights.

Turning to the other four soldiers, he spoke to them in a low whisper. "Ok…so I think we've all come to the same conclusion here."

"This Orman guy is doing something conspicuous," Shuyin muttered, his eyes firmly focused on nothing in particular. Kijo nodded.

"Exactly." He turned to Solene. "This is your specialty, Solene." The woman nodded, face dropping slightly in concentration. "You're gonna need to find him and follow him for a bit, every night. Find out what's going on. Wait for something weird to happen and then we'll go from there. Until then though…the rest of us are going to have to lay low. We don't want to get caught up in the politics of this place. The less we're seen, the better."

His words were met with slow, understanding nods from his unit. Solene did not nod. He face was screwed up in thought, already at work contemplating how to sneak about the Bevelle headquarters. Slowly, the men's eyes drifted to look at her and watch as she worked out her plans. After a few minutes, Kijo spoke up again.

"Are you going in disguise? Or are you doing it in stealthier clothing?"

Solene shook her head. "Disguise for tonight." Her eyes flicked up and looked out to the left somewhere, checking her thought process. "Yeah. I'm sure this place has a curfew but I can use the 'just returned from the field and didn't remember' card at least once. I can move around pretty inconspicuously that way, and if I'm caught, they'll just send me back here."

Kijo grunted in approval. It made sense. She would be safest like that. With a final nod, he stretched and leaned back onto his cot. "Ok, whenever you're ready, head out. Report back as soon as you can." He stared up at the ceiling and heard her stand, her Bevelle gear clanking softly. "And just remember," He looked at her, his eyes serious now. "Don't do anything that will put you at risk. Your priority is to stay alive right now."

Solene smiled and chuckled softly. "Of course sir. I know that already."

Then, without another word, she walked to the door of the room, patting Roy and Brahv on the shoulder as she went. The door opened and she exited, letting it fall shut slowly behind her. Kijo smiled.

"Ok then, no use staying up and wasting good darkness like this. Let's get some rest, eh boys?" There were a few nervous laughs from Roy and Brahv, but they all agreed. They were exhausted. "You too, Shuyin. We all could use the rest."

Shuyin remained silent, watching the door Solene had just exited through. After some time, he nodded. "Ok, sure."

The four men gathered their rough covers about them and closed their eyes. In spite of their excitement for the day to come, they were all able to fall asleep within an hour. The night passed peacefully. Silence reigned over the misty corridors of Bevelle and the war seemed so far away. They were being housed by the enemy and treated as allies. The whole situation was rather funny. Kijo went to sleep with a small smile on his face.

The next day, the sun rose out over Spira, as it did on any day, and Kijo rose with it.. His eyes immediately scanned the room. Shuyin, Brahv, and Roy were all sleeping lightly in their cots.

Solene was not there.

Kijo leaned against the wall and rubbed his eyes. When the sleep had been wiped away, it changed nothing. Solene was not in the room. Kijo stood up slowly, not wanting to wake the other men. He stepped toward the empty cot and looked down. It could have been the fact that he had just woken up, or simply his own naiveté, but he couldn't concede to the fact that the fifth member of his unit was not where she should be.

He had expected her to come back in the middle of the night, perhaps early morning with no exciting facts to tell. She was going to return with a story consisting of a Bevelle security member telling her to get back to her room, nothing more. Then she would return and they would rethink their approach.

But she wasn't here.

The sun had risen on their group and there were only four of them. Kijo shook his head. It was too early to assume anything. So she wasn't here. Perhaps she had roomed up in another soldier's quarters. They all looked the same. Or maybe she had gotten backed into a corner and needed to wait until the guard shift changed and she could leave her space without being seen as a suspicious person. There were too many possibilities to assume the worst yet.

Shaking the other four men awake, he began to dress himself again in the soldier's uniform. They groggily rose and one by one, went through the same realization he had. They said nothing to each other. Speaking their thoughts would make them seem more real and none of them wanted that at the moment.

When they had all dressed, Kijo walked to the door and looked over his shoulder. "I'll go first." He received some blank nods and then walked through the door. He moved quickly through the misty hallways, keeping an eye out for Solene. He made a large perimeter sweep, working from a memory of a blueprint he had once seen as well as his experience yesterday.

Solene wasn't anywhere.

Upon returning to the room, he shook his head solemnly. "I didn't see her."

There was a long pause. After some time, Roy spoke.

"What…what does this mean?" He looked up at Kijo with eyes asking for some sort of comfort. Kijo sighed. Why look at him like that? He already knew what it meant.

"It means nothing."

Kijo looked up sharply at Shuyin, who had just spoken. The blond haired boy was staring out the window, as though concentrating on something very important.

"It doesn't mean anything. We don't know if she's dead, captured, lost, or just had to run back to Zanarkand." Shuyin reached up and rubbed his temples with his fingers. "We don't know anything about what happened to her. We can't assume anything or we might end up making a mistake. We can't assume…but we need to proceed with more caution than ever. We should probably act on the premise that Solene has been captured or killed. We can't let our guard down now."

Kijo looked at Shuyin carefully. He couldn't have said it better himself. "That's right. Shuyin's got the right idea. Keep an eye out for Solene from now on, but we can't be searching for her." His eyes swept over the remaining men. Brahv nodded solemnly and Roy looked down at the ground, upset, but understanding of the situation.

"We're gonna lay low for a few days. Try and confine ourselves to the room and not leave unless we have to." He sat down on the bed. "Is that clear?"

"Yes sir," was the reply.

The following days were quiet. Like Kijo had said, the Zanarkand spies confined themselves to their room, twice a day sending one of them out to scout the area and see if anything had changed. They were not bothered and three days passed in silence. On the fourth day, something new happened.

Kijo was lying on his cot, staring at the ceiling of the room and trying to plot out his next move. "Three days…" he mumbled. "We can start moving again on the fifth." He turned his head to look at Brahv who was the closest to him. "Tomorrow we start investigating Orman again. He's more suspicious now than ever because Solene never came back."

Brahv nodded and was about to speak when there was a hurried knock on the door. Roy and Kijo jumped in surprise. Kijo gathered himself and gave out a few hand signals. The four rushed to pick up equipment and look as though they were doing something professional. It would be unnecessary as the person who knocked called through the door.

"Hey!" Holtz's high voice pierced through the door. Kijo relaxed slightly but listened carefully. "They found a spy from Zanarkand! They're down in the Great Hall right now! Hurry up!"

Kijo felt a pit open up in the bottom of his stomach. Not a word had to be said. The four dressed quickly and in a matter of moments were rushing out the door. They rushed down the halls and were joined by several lingering Bevelle soldiers as they ran. After a minute, they emerged into the great hall. The mist was stirred into frenzy from the crowd that had formed. Kijo pushed through the mob until he could see who everyone was looking at.

"Go ahead and shoot!"

A young man with wild eyes and short black hair was backed up against a guard rail. Beyond him, a deep pit stretched downwards. He was backed into a corner and in front of him, a row of Bevelle soldiers stood with their rifles aimed at him.

"Rall…" Kijo whispered to himself. The man he had designated as the leader of the fourth cell stood, backed into a corner.

"Shoot me already! You've already killed the rest of us!" He stepped forward and spread his arms. "I'm the last one so why not just pull the trigger you Bevelle bastards!"

"You're the bastard!" A voice from somewhere behind Kijo caused the crowd to cheer. Kijo raised an arm and let out a cheer as well, but kept his eyes carefully on Rall.

"So why not just kill me then!?" Rall paced back and forth wildly looking back at gun barrels pointed at him. "Waiting for those people in charge to tell you 'you can shoot'? You need a command for everything? Maybe this is why we always kick your ass on the field!"

_BANG_

"Agh!" Rall fell back and clutched at his thigh where a small hole was beginning to spurt blood. He fell to one knee and supported himself on the guard rail behind him.

"Hold your fire, dammit!"

Rall smiled bitterly through tears of pain. "Hold your fire? What for? What are you waiting for?"

Kijo watched him. What was he waiting for? If they weren't going to kill him, they were going to interrogate him. Why didn't he just turn and jump. What was he doing? No one was going to save him. What was he thinking?

"Not going to shoot?" Rall struggled to pull himself into a standing position. "Still waiting for that command to fire. Fair enough." He leaned back against the railing. "Then let me have my last words now." He smiled and pointed behind him at the large pit behind him. "You see this?"

Silence fell over the crowd. The spy's demeanor had changed. Kijo edged forward, listening intently.

"How many of you know what's down there? Don't say nothing." He laughed wryly. "Those people who are going to tell you to shoot me are building something down there."

And there it was. The reason he had been stalling. Rall had found something. He had no proof that there were any other spies in the audience that surrounded him now, but if he could get the word out to just one…his work would not have been in vain. He was guising it as a call to arms. A secret the authorities were holding from the people. It was brilliant, really.

"You trust them so much, don't you?" Rall continued, raising his voice. "But they're hiding this from you! A giant machina! The likes of which you've never seen! They've been building it for a while now and it's nearly finished! Oh yes…they've nearly finished it now." He laughed loudly. "It's bigger than this whole damn building, can you believe it?"

Kijo couldn't. Bigger than the building? How was he supposed to destroy something like that? They didn't have enough explosives for something of that magnitude. What were they going to do?

"They don't trust in your ability to fight! They don't think you can win against us! That's why they're building it, the giant machina meant to destroy my home." He stepped forward. "The people in charge here…how can you trust them, if they don't trust you?" Murmurs began to ripple through the crowd. "They don't trust in you, that's why they've built it. The giant machina…known as…"

"**_FIRE!!_**"

The scream echoed through the Great Hall and Kijo turned to see the old man pointing at Rall. Orman. As he turned, there were several clicks and then…

_BANG_

Kijo turned back as fast as he could. Rall stumbled back, his body now riddled with small holes where blood began to flow from. His eyes rolled back into his head but he smiled as he bumped into the guard rail.

"The…machina…"

He tipped backwards slowly, leaning over the guard rail and gradually toppling over the edge. The room was completely silent as he fell over and into the pit. He kept smiling, speaking one last word.

"Veg…na…gun."

Then he was gone, silently falling into nothingness as he flew downwards and out of their view. Kijo stared at the spot where he had disappeared and offered silent gratitude to the valiant Zanarkand soldier. Thanks to him…they knew what it was. They knew it existed. They could do something. But…what?

"Hmph…Zanarkand bastard was crazy as hell, wasn't he?" Kijo looked to the side where another Bevelle soldier had whispered to him. Kijo gritted his teeth for a moment and then smiled.

"Heh…yea. Must have been out of his mind."

There was movement to his left and Kijo felt something bump against him. He stumbled forward slightly and felt a hand reach up to his collar and grab onto it. Another Bevelle soldier leaned in close to him and pulled him close.

"You'll have to move tonight. I'll be leaving for Zanarkand, meet me in the room as soon as possible. Make sure Shuyin, Roy, and Brahv are all there." The soldier brushed Kijo's front with their hand and straightened him back up. Kijo moved with the soldier and glanced down at them.

"Sorry for bumping into you," Solene said simply and then left.


	13. Lost Before the Storm

Here's another chapter. Sorry it's taking so long these days. I've been kind of busy with stuff. I perform stand-up on occasion and I was headlining a show recently which sort of sucked away my creativity for a while. In any case, here it is.

I disclaim things I don't own.

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Chapter 12

Lost Before the Storm

Kijo turned and walked back through the crowd. Already it was beginning to disperse. He moved quickly but did not attract any undue attention. Soon enough, he ran into Roy.

"She's alive. The room. Now," he hissed under his breath. Roy showed no reaction, which was good. They parted and Kijo kept moving until he found Brahv. He repeated his message and moved on, looking for Shuyin. The crowd was nearly gone now. All that remained were a few stragglers and himself. Shuyin might of headed back to the room already. Kijo turned to inspect the area one last time.

Shuyin was still there. He had moved forward and was now standing against the guard rail several feet from where Rall had fallen. Kijo's eyes widened. He was drawing attention to himself, was he an idiot? There was movement to Kijo's left. Orman was walking toward Shuyin. Kijo cursed under his breath.

"Hey! Soldier!" Shuyin and Orman both turned to look at Kijo who was pointing at the blond haired boy. "What the hell are you doing? You don't believe that crazy bastard, do you?"

Shuyin looked at him for a moment and then noticed Orman out of the corner of his eye. A smile broke out on his face. "No way. I just wanted to see if you could hear him hit the bottom." He jogged forward, meeting up with Kijo.

Kijo laughed and turned, directing Shuyin in the direction of the barracks. "Well? Did you?"

"Nope. That hole must go for miles."

The two walked out of the grand hall, but Kijo could feel the suspicious eyes of Orman on him. When he thought they were out of earshot, he pulled Shuyin closer to him and whispered angrily at him.

"What the fuck were you thinking?"

Shuyin pulled away and looked down at the ground, upset. "I don't know…I wanted to see if you could see the machina from up there."

Kijo shook his head and sighed in exasperation. "Don't do anything like that again. Everyone here is on the lookout for suspicious activity. They're gonna use any excuse to nail us. You understand."

Shuyin nodded solemnly.

"Alright…anyway. We're heading back to the room. Solene showed up, and she's got information."

Shuyin looked up in surprise. "She's alive?"

Kijo smiled a small smile. "Yeah, apparently."

"Oh." Kijo looked at Shuyin. He sounded almost bothered by the news. "Good."

The pair made their way back to the room in silence. When they entered, Brahv and Roy were already inside. Brahv looked up when they came in, and Roy stood up. When Kijo closed the door, he began speaking excitedly.

"Solene is still alive? You saw her? When? What did she say?"

Kijo smiled at his enthusiasm. "She was in that crowd. She bumped into me and just told us to all congregate in the room. She would drop by. But after that, she needs to go back to Zanarkand. By the sound of things, she did something risky that might get her in trouble if she stays. Either way, we're moving tonight."

Shuyin moved, almost imperceptibly, but it caught Kijo's attention and he turned to look at him. His eyes were shining again and Kijo could feel the intense feeling of discomfort that accompanied the boy's stare.

Before he could compose his thoughts on the soldier, the door opened up. Solene slipped in quickly and shut the door behind her. She glanced around nervously for a moment and then sighed. Stretching, she took a step forward and fell on her back on the nearest cot. Kijo turned to the woman and raised an eyebrow suggestively.

"Were you being followed?"

Solene sat up and shook her head. "No, I wasn't followed. They're not after me yet." The female soldier sighed loudly. "So right down to business then?"

Kijo nodded.

Solene smiled knowingly. "Fair enough." She sat up and propped elbows on her knees. "So…how much did you hear from Rall?"

Kijo explained that they had heard about the existence of the machina and that it was somewhere down in that large hole. "I think we heard everything he knew and was going to say there."

Solene nodded slowly. "Ok then…" She turned and looked pointedly at Kijo. "It's true. Everything Rall said is dead on. When I was out spying on Orman, I got caught up in something bigger. I was spotted by a group of soldiers but instead of sending me back to the room, they scolded me for being late and led me into the central hall. Orman was there and he started talking to us about guarding something. I played along, pretending to of been chosen for the mission.

"Then he pulled back a panel on the…" Solene looked up at the ceiling for a second, racking her brains. "The third column in the room and an elevator appeared. We were led down on the elevator." She smiled a slightly frightened smile. "They've got miles of tunnels down there. Well-built too. It's no labyrinth, but it's long. Not much cover either."

She shook her head. "Anyway. We were brought down there and briefed on what we were supposed to be doing. I was dragged into guarding that machina Rall mentioned." Solene shivered. "They call it Vegnagun."

"Vegnagun…" Shuyin whispered softly.

"You saw it?" Kijo asked sharply.

Solene nodded, averting her eyes. "Yeah…I…saw it. The thing is huge…more like a beast than a machina…" She shut her eyes and rubbed her temples, trying to calm herself. Kijo reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It's alright. Just…take your time. We're not taking you back down there."

Solene swallowed hard. Vegnagun must be a formidable sight to have done this to a soldier of her caliber.

"They've nearly completed Vegnagun. By all means, it's functional. Apparently there was some issue with 'emotive responses' or some other technical term I had never heard before."

Kijo glanced at Brahv, if any of them would know technology, it would be him. Brahv shrugged.

"Anyway. They're afraid to use it because it is highly unstable. Something about it keeps it from being used in the battle. I don't know how close they are to fixing it. Could be tomorrow, could be never." She sighed.

"But whenever it's going to be done, you all need to move tonight. They're giving the guards down there today off. But we're all supposed to be returning tonight. They gave us ID cards and when I don't show up, they're going on high alert. It's going to be impossible to get in."

Kijo stared off at nothing as he listened. "Can we just get in with uniforms up to the ID check?"

Solene shook her head. "No. Anyone who comes down on the elevator past a certain time other than Orman gets shot on the spot."

"So what are we supposed to do?"

Shuyin shifted on his cot. "Isn't it obvious? We need to take it by force."

There was a long pause. It was risky, but Kijo knew he was right. There was no way around it.

"How many guards are down there?"

"They're at least seventy-five strong," Solene said, trying to remember. "But past the very outside guards, no one else takes the job very seriously. It's so deep inside, who's going to get there, right?"

Kijo smiled a dry smile. "Yeah, who would do that?"

After that, the group spent some time coercing Solene's mental map of the underground onto some paper. She was right, the place was enormous. Twisting paths all over. It would be a difficult run. They would need to be quick about it. Solene remembered a lot of the area, which was good. After some time, she described a large circular room.

"They call it the Gaol." She scowled as she said the name. "They're this big rotating contraption with over fifty tiny cages attached to them. It's where they keep prisoners they don't want the public to know about." Her face softened slightly. "I…saw…the members of Cells 5 and 2 there. Almost all of them. A few were executed while I was down there. They're probably all gone by now."

Kijo stared blankly at the large circle he had just drawn on the map. "Dammit…" he whispered softly. It was more or less what he had expected…but it was still hard to hear. Three out of five cells were captured and probably all dead. The other cell was unaccounted for. Who knows how they were fairing.

They remained silent for some time, thinking about the departed.

"I…" Roy's voice broke the silence. "I hope someone sends them."

Kijo smiled softly. It was a foolish hope…but it was nice to think about anyway.

"And not far beyond the Gaol room," Solene continued. "You'll find where they keep Vegnagun."

Kijo eyes the makeshift map carefully. It was straightforward enough. No tricky paths and ways to get lost. The room was silent for some time as everyone took in the map before them. They'd need to remember all they could. None of them wanted to go in blind.

Finally, Kijo sighed. "Roy, you're holding onto the map." Roy nodded and folded it carefully, placing it in his pocket. "Solene, you're sure you can't come with use?"

"I'll draw undue attention to myself if I come along." The woman bit her lip and averted her gaze. "And…I'm scared. I don't want to look at that machina again."

"That bad?" Kijo asked softly.

"Yeah."

"Ok. Go on then. Get back to Zanarkand, ok? Tell everyone that Vegnagun exists." He patted her on the shoulder. "We're counting on you for that."

Solene stood up and walked to the door, turning only briefly to wish them good luck. When the door closed, Kijo offered a silent prayer for the woman before turning back to his men.

"Alright. We'll be playing most of this by ear. Let's try and stick to a line formation if we can, me in front, Brahv, and Roy in center. Shuyin, you take the rear. Watch out for reinforcements." The three men nodded. "Ok boys…" Kijo smiled grimly. "Let's do this."

The small group left the room silently, dressed in Bevelle uniforms. They moved quickly and without a sound. The misty halls were empty and the only movements were the tiny swirls in the white vapor that drifted around their feet. After a few minutes, they reached the main hall.

Kijo lifted his hand and flipped his fingers around quickly. In response, his companions spread out across the chamber, covering the exits. Kijo made his way to the column that Solene had indicated and began feeling the surface for anything unusual. After s few seconds of probing, Kijo smiled.

He flipped back a panel of stone to reveal a small glowing glyph. Kijo laid a hand over the glyph and it brightened for a moment and then went out. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, there was a sound. Kijo looked up. Part of the ceiling had broken away and began to fall slowly. Kijo placed the panel back over the glyph carefully and made his way to the edge of the hole.

"Guys!" he hissed. The soldiers turned and nodded, hurrying toward Kijo and the slowly falling elevator. When it reached them, Kijo saw it was nothing more than a large slab of stone, faintly glowing with glyphs. "Get on. Let's go."

The four men vaulted over the railing and landed quietly on the elevator. The glyphs shone brightly and then dimmed. The elevator began to fall. Soon enough, they were surrounded by darkness as the dim light from the hall above began to fade. Kijo pulled off his Bevelle helmet and shook his head. His heart was racing. This was the calm before the storm.


	14. Faulty

So here it is. The most exciting chapter so far. I will give nothing else away. But it's awesome. Get ready for stuff.

I disclaim that which I don't own.

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Chapter 13

Faulty

There was no sound but that of long, nervous breathing. There was darkness all around the small group. Kijo looked up and could barely see the speck of light that used to be the main hall above them. Wherever they were going, it was deep beneath the city. Kijo gently laid a hand on the hilt of his sword.

There was a tug at his wrist. He felt someone lean in close, Roy. "The ground is visible, sir," he whispered softly. Kijo nodded and moved to the edge of the slowly descending platform. Peering over the edge, he could make out the hazy image of the floor below. He dug in his pocket for a moment before removing a gil. Holding it out over the edge, it dropped.

_Clink_

"Huh?"

A voice echoed up through the elevator shaft. Kijo looked back at Brahv, who was already watching him for the signal. They were perhaps thirty feet over the ground floor.

"What was that?"

"Someone probably just dropping stuff over the ledge." A second voice reached their ears, bouncing off the dark walls. "Check it out anyway." Faint sounds of footsteps filled shaft. Kijo strained his ears, trying to hear past the echoes and false perceptions of the sound.

"Hey, a gil."

Kijo raised a finger and Brahv nodded, turning and dropping something else over the ledge. It fell down toward a Bevelle soldier who entered Kijo's line of sight and bent over to pick up the fallen gil.

"Guess it's my lucky da-"

The grenade Brahv had dropped hit the floor and exploded with a deafening roar. The soldier beneath was obliterated in an instant. Kijo lifted his hand and made a gesture. They were only twelve feet or so from the landing now. They jumped down. Four sets of feet landed in a small pool of blood. Concealed by the smoke from the blast, Kijo dashed forward.

"Holy shit!"

Kijo emerged from the smoke, unsheathing his sword and lashing out at a surprised guard, slitting his throat. The guard's eyes rolled back into his head as he sputtered, blood frothing in his mouth before he fell to the ground, dead.

"Let's go!" Kijo stepped past the guard, dashing down the hall and sheathing his sword. He pulled the machina gun that he had been carrying from its holster and looked back for a moment. The three other members of the cell were already doing excellently. They were in formation and moving just as quickly as he was.

The group sprinted down the dimly lit corridor. Far down the hall, there was a bend, just like Solene had explained in her map. From beyond it, Kijo could hear voices.

"Did you hear that? Was that an explosion?"

Feet rounded the corner before they reached it. Kijo spun and flattened himself against the wall, taking aim with his gun and firing. The bullet found its mark and another guard fell bleeding from a hole in his skull.

"Oh shit! Ready your weapons! Now!"

The small group reached the turn in the hall. Kijo dove around the corner, aiming fast with his gun. There were four soldiers waiting for him. Kijo fired a shot, hit the ground, rolled to his feet and dashed forward. More gunfire exploded from behind him. When he looked up, all four of the guards were dead. He didn't have to look back to know that it had been the other men of his unit.

They hurried onwards, moving quickly and taking the guards by surprise. Kijo knew it wouldn't last long, however. Some way or another, word would spread and they wouldn't have that element in their favor. After running for some time, they came to a larger room. Kijo thought back to the map and understood that it was the checkpoint Solene had spoken about. He didn't have much time to think back on the map however, because the room was full of soldiers.

"Intruders!"

In moments, the checkpoint was ablaze with gunfire. Kijo managed to pick off two of them from the start with well placed shots. There were roughly fifteen of them left, all taking shelter behind overturned stone tables that littered the checkpoint.

"Roy, take them out! Brahv and I will cover! We don't have time to waste here!" Kijo shouted as he scrambled to avoid a hail of gunfire. Roy lowered his gun, letting go of it as it fell against his side, suspended only by the leather strap. Kijo lowered his own gun and unsheathed his sword again, dashing over to the mage and taking his place in front of him.

Roy closed his eyes and for a moment, Kijo could not help but envy the man's concentration. Brahv stepped in front of them, firing wildly at the tables where the enemy sat. A shot was fired and a bullet whizzed toward Roy. Kijo leaned back and struck out with his sword, deflecting the bullet off in a wild direction.

"**FIRAGA!**"

Roy's eyes opened and he pointed at the enemy's cover. In an instant, the area behind the tables was engulfed in flames. Screams filled the air and were soon joined by loud popping noises as the soldiers' ammo caught and exploded. When the screams stopped, Kijo nodded at Roy.

"**Watera**," he said and water formed in the air over the raging flames, falling and putting out a section long enough for the group to pass.

From that point on it became increasingly difficult to pass through. The Bevelle soldiers grew more and more prepared but even as they became aware of the intruders, Kijo knew that their very presence frightened them. How far could these intruders possibly get? How many were there? Doubt would spread through the enemy like wildfire.

As Kijo ran his blade through the chest of an enemy soldier, he thought back on the map given to him by Solene. Past this turn in the corridors, they would reach the Gaol room. He didn't like the idea of being in there. Not only was it wide open and could fit many enemy soldiers, but it would lower the morale of the troops to see their comrades trapped in those cages.

Nevertheless, they had to press on. Kijo raised a single finger, ordering them to move slowly now. Brahv quietly removed several grenades from his pouch and cradled them close to him. Roy silently let his MP drain into a more useable form, preparing the spell early. Shuyin reloaded his gun.

They stopped at the corner. Beyond, they could hear loud clanking noises, as though a great machina were moving with a slow, relentless consistency. They knew what it was. Kijo reached back with one hand and Brahv supplied him with a grenade. Taking a deep breath, Kijo whirled around the corner, raising his gun and firing wildly. There were a good twenty-five enemy soldiers within the room.

His assault was met with a carefully prepared line of fire. The bullets whizzed by, narrowly missing him. Kijo stumbled forward, searching desperately for cover. With a shout, he pulled the pin on the grenade and sent it flying toward a collected group of soldiers. This motion was met with a shout as the Bevellians tried to scramble away from the bomb.

It exploded in a burst of fire and smoke. Kijo couldn't tell how many had gotten caught in the blast. The chaos on its own was enough for him. He rushed forward, firing the last bullets in his clip into the mess of scrambling soldiers and then dropping it and unsheathing his sword.

He heard gunfire from behind him and saw a soldier drop to the ground off to his left. The Bevelle soldiers were confused now. Unsure where to shoot. Kijo moved quickly, taking advantage of the confusion and gutting a soldier. He whirled around, pulling his blade from his victim and sheathing it inside another panicking guard.

There was a short scream. A voice he recognized, but Kijo could not turn to look. His blade found its way into another man's throat before the room fell silent. There was only the loud monstrous clangs of the Gaol. The thing loomed above the bloodied floor like a giant metal spider, menacingly reaching out to the bodies that littered the floor. Kijo watched it spin and stop. The cages were not empty, just devoid of life. He recognized some faces as members of the other cells. The guards must have killed all of them when they heard intruders were coming. It made him sick to look at.

"Roy's been hit!"

Kijo was struck from his reverie. He turned to look back to where they had come in. Brahv was leaning over Roy. The mage was lying still on the ground. His face was pale and even from a distance, Kijo could see that he was already dead. He walked over to his fallen comrade and stood over him, looking down.

"He's…dead…" Brahv said, his voice fluctuating strangely.

"Yeah."

Kijo looked down at him for a few more moments and then sighed. He hadn't expected for them to come out of this alive…but…it was still hard to see the first one go. He shook his head and watched a pool of red begin to form under his comrade.

"Let's go. We don't have time to waste here."

Shuyin's voice cut through the silence. Kijo looked at the blond haired soldier. He was right…but he sounded almost annoyed by the loss. That was unacceptable. "Corporal. Roy was our comrade and he just died. Why don't you show some respect?"

"Because…" Shuyin turned to face Kijo. "We don't have the time for it." Kijo felt his insides run cold. Shuyin's eyes were wilder than ever. He felt almost rooted in place, unable to move from where he sat. He was generally frightened. Something about Shuyin's eyes was making him genuinely fearful for his own wellbeing. "We can grieve as we go. You don't want to get caught here do you? What would Roy have died for then?"

He turned away and Kijo felt some warmth return to his body. Turning slowly, he offered one last glance at the mage. Silently, he bowed to him. "If we win this war. I'll personally bring a summoner in here to send the crap out of this place." He smiled a sad smile. "So don't you become a fiend until then alright, soldier?"

Brahv stood and the three of them began moving again. The rest of the way was empty of troops. Kijo surmised that they might have all moved forward to gather in the Gaol room. Nevertheless…there were likely to be a final few guards in the room with Vegnagun. The three men hurried through the dim corridors until they reached a large arch.

Upon stepping through the arch, they were met with an enormous dome. It reminded Kijo of the Blitzball stadiums back in Zanarkand, only ten times as large. The walls were lined with glowing blue glyphs that faded in and out of view. A single walkway without a railing stretched forth over the empty space and met with a large door in the face of another metallic sphere inside the room. The walkway was lined with soft blue light and their footsteps echoed loudly against the walls of the chamber.

Beyond the walkway, past the door in the secondary sphere, Kijo could clearly hear the sound of something moving. It sounded like heavy breathing of some enormous creature…like a Behemoth…only a hundred times larger. The sounds had something metallic to them. Were these the sounds that a machina would make? Kijo could feel himself growing nervous.

To his surprise there were not any guards stationed along the path and they walked slowly forward, drawing nearer to the great doors that led into the central sphere. He heard Brahv swallow loudly. When they finally reached the door, Kijo stopped, taking a deep breath and trying to calm himself. It was only a machina, right? Nothing more than that.

With another step forward, the doors threw themselves open automatically. Kijo closed his eyes on instinct but after a second, let them open.

"Holy hell…"

In front of him, a monstrous amalgam of metal stared down at him. The thing had a face. Enormous metallic teeth gleamed back at him in a terrible unearthly grin. Depressions that looked all too much like eye sockets glared at him and caused his knees to become weak. It took all he had just to convince himself that this was in fact a machina and not a fiend.

"Is it…breathing?" Brahv's voice was shaky and frightened.

It was breathing.

Kijo shook himself and took a step forward. He had an unexplainable feeling that the machina was sleeping. Not taking his eyes off of the machina, he whispered to Brahv, unsure of why he felt the need to be quiet.

"Do you have enough equipment to finish this thing?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Kijo could see Brahv nod slowly. "Enough to make it a bitch to fix."

Kijo felt surer than ever before that it was a bad idea to approach the machina, to even think about trying to harm it. The thing was alive…much more so than anything made of metal had a right to be. Would it wake if they touched it? Was it even sleeping now? Kijo cleared his throat and smiled nervously.

"Good enough I guess. Let's get to work then."

_BANG_

Blood. That was the most noticeable thing. Kijo watched as an arc of red liquid spewed out from the edge of his vision. He turned in time to see Brahv's mouth drop open and watch his eyes roll back up in the direction of the bloody hole in his forehead. Time slowed for a moment as Brahv remained standing for a second and then buckled under his own dead weight. He hit the ground and spasmed for a moment before lying still in a slowly widening puddle of his own blood.

Kijo was a blur of motion. He unsheathed his sword in a second and whirled around. The bullet had come from behind. Had they been caught up to? Was it a trap laid for them? Who had shot?

"Wha…?"

Shuyin stared down the barrel of his rifle at his commander. Kijo froze, caught in the dead gaze of the young corporal. He eyed the barrel of the machina weapon in Shuyin's hands. He saw his finger twitch ever so slightly. He saw the hammer release and fly forward, striking the flint. He watched as something small and round appeared inside the dark tunnel of the barrel and slowly advance down the path toward him. He saw the bullet leave the muzzle and cross the space between Shuyin and himself. He felt himself recoil from the bullet, hands rising to stop the oncoming shard of flying metal. He felt the deafening impact of the bullet as it crashed against his upraised sword. He felt the bullet pierce his skin, digging into his chest and burrowing deep in his flesh.

He fell, the world becoming hazy as he went. He hit the ground with a thud that he found difficult to hear. Somehow, he was finding it difficult to breathe. He reached out with a hand, any hand. Was it even his? He reached out, groping for some desperate hope that might bring the air into his lungs. On the edge of his vision, he saw something glint brightly in the blue glow of the glyphs. A ring. It was white.

Kijo smiled. "I guess…" he whispered softly. "I guess these rings don't work after all…Majo."

Kijo's eyes closed. He could hear footsteps. They were loud, as though they were passing him.

"You know…"

It was a deep voice. One that he recognized. Shuyin's voice.

"You're the only one I can count on to save Lenne."

He stopped hearing then. He couldn't hear anymore. It was tiring to hear anything. Some rest would do him some good. Then he would go back to Zanarkand…and make fun of Majo…for buying…faulty…rings…


	15. Dead Dancing for the Living

So that chapter was pretty shocking, wasn't it? Here's the next one. Let's see what happens. I like the dancing scene…but that might just be me.

I disclaim what I don't own.

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Chapter 14

Dead Dancing for the Living

"Today is the day."

Majo stood before the vast group of soldiers and summoners. They had been training day and night for some time now, and Lord Yevon had just given them the order to move out. They had established a deal with the Ronso to let them pass and were now standing at the base of the great mountain. Behind them, Zanarkand glowed softly with its artificial lights.

Majo's eyes swept over the scene. It had only been ten days ago, but he had been standing here in this very spot when he had last spoken to Kijo. He glanced down at his ring, still bright white in color. A smile slipped across his face like water before disappearing. That was all he really had at that point. Just the silent reassurance that his friend was alive. It was all that was keeping him from giving up entirely.

"Today…is the day," he repeated.

He knew that this meant two different things. To the summoners and soldiers organized before him…it meant that today was the day they rode into battle. To the optimistic it meant that today was the day they turned the tides of war. It was the day they became heroes. It was the beginning of the end of the machina war.

To Majo though…it meant something different. It was the beginning of the end…but not of war…

He glanced back at Zanarkand. If Kijo could only have finished his have been here by today…maybe something could have changed. Maybe it could be avoided. Majo sighed a melancholy sigh and ran his hands through his unruly hair.

"Today is the day we have been training for. Today we go to battle for the sake of this city. Our home."

It hurt to lie to them. They were fighting for something that…well it could be gone any day now. He swept his eyes over the assembled group passing over people whose names he never learned. Finally, he came to rest upon the face of Lady Yunalesca. She still had no idea. Should he tell her? Would she be able to do anything? At this point…Majo doubted anything could be done.

"I have faith in you all, that we shall overcome any obstacle in our way."

Why was he still speaking? The words were hollow. They meant nothing and yet he kept talking. The faces stared up at him, full of admiration and respect but…what did any of it mean at this point?

"So let us go, and finally put an end to the scourge from Bevelle!"

They raised their arms, pumped their fists in the air and shouted. They were proud. They were naïve as well. They had no idea what awaited them on the actual battlefield. But even that, even the horrors of war were better than seeing what would happen any day now at home.

He wanted to turn, look upon Zanarkand one last time. He wanted to drink in the sights and sounds…the smells and the emotions. All of it. He wanted to take a picture and keep it locked in his head for all of time.

He didn't do any of that.

He simply began walking, leading the men and women up Mt. Gagazet. He had heard that the Ronso worship the mountain as though it were a god. As though it had some sort of life to it. He looked up at the spiraling crags and ice-capped peaks. To worship a hunk of rock it was…ridiculous. And especially one that seemed to be cowering in fear.

He wondered if it would be the only witness to the tragedy to come, and who it would tell.

They reached the other side of the mountain, unhindered by Ronso, fiends or even the frozen weather. Morale was high and even as they entered the base camp and witnessed the blood-stained grass and tents filled with the wounded, the summoners did not back away. This is what they had come to change. This was what they were going to put an end to.

Majo called the summoners to a halt and they stopped. He watched the large red and blue tent that he knew to be the commanding officer's tent. After a few minutes, the flaps were pulled aside and an older man with graying hair stepped out. He looked tired but when he saw Majo and the soldiers behind him, he brightened.

"Supervisor Majo!" He shouted. The man raised his left arm, waving to them. Majo thought for a moment before recognizing him.

"Ah, Loro. It is good to see you." Majo bowed and held out his hand.

Loro looked at it, smiled sadly and then held up his right arm which was crisscrossed with a number of painful looking scars. His hand was missing two fingers. Majo did not blink, but simply held out his other hand which Loro took without complaint.

"Where's commander Holken?" Majo asked once they had finished greeting each other.

Loro shook his head. "Died about two weeks ago. I've been in charge since."

Majo nodded silently.

"It's funny…Kijo came through here some time ago, asked the same question."

Majo looked up. It wasn't a surprise…he would have needed to pass through here to get to Bevelle. But it was still a shock to hear his name spoken. "Was he doing well?"

"Same as ever."

Majo smiled another fleeting smile before straightening up again. "He hasn't returned yet?"

"No." Loro fidgeted for a moment and glanced over Majo's shoulder. "Are those…um…are those the summoners?" Majo nodded. Loro's face brightened with excitement. "Really? Oh this is great! We've been struggling out here for months now. This is just what we needed!"

Majo sighed. Of course this news was going to be good for him. He had no idea what was happening in Zanarkand. "Yes…we're here to help. We need the night to rest…but afterwards we should be able to go to battle immediately. How many troops can you spare?"

"Not many. We've got so many just trying to keep the wounded alive."

Majo shook his head solemnly. "Alright…we'll sleep where there's room. I'd like to meet with you in an hour so you may brief me on the situation." Without another word, he turned from Loro and looked back over the summoners. "I'm sure you are all tired from the journey. Take this time to rest. Tomorrow we will be fighting. I will be meeting with commander Loro. I'll have your detailed assignments by tomorr-"

"Majo, sir?" Loro interrupted him in the middle of his speech. The mage sighed and turned, his eyes tired and hollow looking.

"What is it, commander?"

Loro fidgeted uncomfortably. Something about the Supervisor made him very uncomfortable. "I am aware that your men must be tired…but if it not too much trouble…I would appreciate it if we could borrow some of them to perform sendings." He looked down at the ground and clenched his fists. "We've lost so many…some of them have even started to become fiends. If we could just borrow ten of them…I would appreciate it very much."

Majo looked at Loro carefully. The commander was avoiding his gaze. He couldn't have his summoners unrested tomorrow. They needed the sleep. Most of them didn't have the stamina to work without sleep. He was about to speak when someone interrupted him again.

"Commander Loro, Supervisor Majo…I would be glad to perform the sendings."

Majo turned as Loro looked up. Lenne had stepped out from the crowd and stood with her chin held high.

"Please…I will do what I can…and I promise to get some rest as well. I know how important it is to be ready for battle tomorrow." The songstress looked up at Majo, her deep brown eyes cutting into Majo's own hollow ones. He wanted to say no. It was a bad idea…but he couldn't. He could not bring himself to deny this of her.

"Alright. Do what you can but don't overwork yourself." He paused. "Two more may join her. The rest of you get some rest. Tomorrow we fight. We need all of you in peak condition."

A chorus of 'yes sir's met his command and he watched the summoners and their guards disperse and begin to wander the encampment. Silently, he turned and began to walk toward the commander's tent. The encampment was more or less how he had remembered it when he had been there last. It had been over a year since then — nearly two. Loro was already inside, sitting on a stool and smiling softly.

"Sending the dead is going to do wonders for morale," he said offhandedly. "We've been waiting for quite some time to get a summoner out here. When Kijo told us that you were going to be coming by in a few weeks to…well…make or break this war…it was quite a relief to hear." The old commander looked up at Majo and frowned slightly. "When I asked Kijo about you he said you were doing just fine. He actually said, 'same as ever.'" Loro paused and ran his good hand through his hair. "You don't seem so well. Anything happen after he left?"

Majo blinked. It was such a simple question but…the answer…oh god the answer was so much more. He could tell him, couldn't he? Why not? After all, it was too late. Lord Yevon's threats couldn't reach him out here. Why not just tell him. It's not like the commander would even believe him if he did.

"Nothing more than the usual." He couldn't tell him. For the life of him…he couldn't understand why…but he could never tell him. "The higher-ups have been pressuring me with this assignment…it's a heavy load for one person."

Loro nodded, understanding the weight on his shoulders. He carried a weight like that as well, sending men out every day to fight. "Well…it'll be over soon now."

Yes it would…though not in the way he thought. Majo wondered, not for the first time how so many things that people just said as normal conversation could cut so deep.

"I'd like to get down to planning as soon as possible, Commander," Majo said tiredly.

"It sounds like you need more rest than your unit." Loro laughed. "Look, let's just enjoy ourselves for an hour or so. You look like you could use some cheering up." The commander stood and stretched. "Have you ever seen a sending?" Majo tried to protest but Loro crossed the tent and opened the flap. "Come on."

With a sigh, Majo followed Loro outside into the encampment. In the sky, the very first stars were beginning to appear, and a large moon shone like a single great light in the dark sky. The atmosphere of the camp had changed. It wasn't nearly as frenzied as before. The whole place seemed calm. The sounds from the medical tents had even died down somewhat.

Off to the southwest corner of the encampment, someone had built a small fire. Many of the soldiers had gathered around it, sitting and staring beyond the flames, faces alive with wonderment. Some were crying, but they still smiled. Majo turned to look at Loro. If his men were up like this, they weren't going to be well rested for tomorrow.

"What did I tell you about morale, eh?" To Majo's surprise, Loro was smiling softly as he stared at the crowd. A single tear formed in his eye and crept downwards, interrupted briefly by a deep scar on his cheek.

Majo said nothing and turned back to the crowd. He walked forward, trying to see past the flames. Beyond the fire, a row of bodies, recently deceased soldiers, were lined up against the cliff wall. In front of them, three figures moved in unison, bodies flowing like water. Their shadows were thrust upon the cliff and shook and wavered like candles in a breeze.

Majo moved forward again, entranced by the scene. He walked closer until he reached the edge of the crowd. It was then that he recognized the three dancers. It was Lenne, Lady Yunalesca, and her husband Zaon. The three of them moved slowly and deliberately, swaying in complicated patterns that Majo felt could not be replicated by most people. After a few moments, glowing spheres began to rise from the bodies of the dead. They lifted into the air and swirled there leisurely and unhurried, as though they too were enjoying the dance.

As he watched he began to notice subtle differences in the execution of the dance. Yunalesca's movements seemed grander, more regal and impressive. Zaon's movements, for all his muscles and brawn, were just as graceful as his wife's and had almost a protective nature. Watching the two of them together made Majo feel strange. It saddened him because it was a beautiful scene…and he still felt no sense of happiness as he watched.

His eyes moved past the couple and fell upon Lenne. She moved differently than the other two. Her motions were softer, less pronounced, but somehow more pronounced than either Zaon or Yunalesca's. She dipped and swayed as fluidly as the rain. She seemed almost to float as she moved, some invisible wings lifting her from the earth as she lifted and lowered her arms. Her body moved perfectly to a rhythm that no one could hear but everyone knew.

Then she made it known. It was soft at first. Just humming. Quiet, nearly impossible to hear, but it was there. The camp fell silent. The flames flickered and the pyreflies rose into the air. After a few moments, Zaon stopped dancing, his body gradually coming to a stop to listen more intently. His wife soon followed, her face softening as she listened.

Lenne's humming grew louder, though she did not seem to raise her voice. Soon it filled the encampment and Majo wondered if the people beyond the antechamber could hear it was well. She moved on her own now, all eyes on her. She had closed her own at this point, giving herself over entirely to the ritual. The sound began to fill the air, permeating the hearts of those listening.

Then she opened her mouth, and sang.

_A story with no end_

_Has no meaning_

_You've written your own life_

_And lived it well_

_But remember_

_With every final chapter_

_Another one begins_

_And the ones you left behind_

_Will never forget_

_Your life_

Her voice lingered on the final word, drawing it out and even when she fell silent, it remained hovering over them. Lenne slowed and stopped as the last of the pyre flies disappeared overhead. Her eyes opened and she stared forward, seeming to look beyond the crowd, the encampment, even all of Spira. Gazing further into something infinite that no one could hope to understand.

Majo felt something wet on his face and reached up to wipe it away. As his arm withdrew, his sleeve now slightly damp he realized that it had been a tear. He had been crying. He felt nothing…but he had cried. A wry smile crossed his face. What did that mean? Did it mean he was still human after all? Or did it mean he was falling further into madness?

"No one's ever put a tune to a sending before." Loro was standing next to him now. Tears fell freely from his eyes and he made no attempt to wipe them away or hide them. "Let alone words." He smiled. "I guess that's what a songstress can do though, right?"

The crowd was still silent, watching Lenne as her gaze returned to Spira. She blinked and then smiled, slightly embarrassed. The soldiers did not cheer but it was unneeded. Noise of any sort seemed course and inappropriate in comparison to what they had all just witnessed.

"It's funny," Loro said distractedly. He was glancing down at Majo's hand. "Kijo was wearing a ring like that, only his was white."

"What do you mean his was…" Majo glanced down at the ring on his finger. The metal was a deep shade of gray, nearly black. Slivers of white were still visible but one by one, they faded away. Majo raised his hand and frantically inspected all sides of the ring. It was almost entirely black all around. The gray spots were fading. He felt as though the bottom of his stomach had dropped away.

"No…" He whispered the word, and slowly, he began to back away from the crowd whose eyes were all still fixed upon Lenne. "No no no no no…." He stumbled, tripping over his own feet. He wasn't thinking, wasn't able to think.

"Majo?" Loro turned to see Majo hit the ground hard. The mage winced but kept moving, crawling on his hands and knees. He was moving toward the exit of the antechamber, out to where the sounds of battle were once again beginning to sound.

"No…it…no." Majo staggered to his feet and began running, stumbling as he went. He desperately supported himself on the cliff wall. He was moving without thinking. Just…he had to be in motion. That was all he could feel. It didn't even help, it was just something he had to do. He staggered along the cliff lined path. Finally came to a stop as the cliff walls ended and gave way to the massive sky, interrupted only by the towering Mount Gagazet.

"No, he…dead?"

Looking out at the mountain which seemed almost to tremble in fear, he smiled. A hand raised and pointed at the distant city he knew lay beyond. "BOOM!" he shouted. Then he laughed. "How much longer? How much longer Yevon!?" His laughing grew longer. "Boom boom BOOM!" His knees buckled and he fell to the ground, staring out over the vast expanse of sky and mountain. "Or will it just be one? One enormous explosion? Or will it disappear in a second? Will I see it from here? How is it going to be done? Eh, Lord Yevon? How? You never told me that!"

He became aware of movement behind him. Someone was running toward him. There was gunfire. With a smile, Majo turned. "Did you come to see it one last time?"

He was met with a middle aged woman. She was out of breath, bleeding slightly from a hole in her left shoulder. The arm beneath it was limp. Majo thought that he recognized her somehow.

"Are you from Zanarkand?" The woman shouted as she ran.

"Zanarkand?" Majo laughed. "From, yes…but how much longer?"

The woman blinked and covered her head as more gunfire sounded. "I don't know what that means but…" another gunshot sounded and her right leg jerked suddenly, sending her flying. She fell to the ground face first and skidded to a halt in front of Majo. Her face screwed up in pain but she bit down hard and began crawling forward with her good arm.

"Listen. I was in Bevelle on a secret mission. You have to report back to headquarters…the machina does exist. It's been confirmed. Commander Kijo and his unit are trying to dispose of it but it does exist." She winced and reached up to her shoulder where blood began to seep through her fingers.

Majo blinked. She had mentioned Kijo. She had been with him not too long ago. She knew where he was. He leaned down and let his MP drain into his hands which he laid upon the woman's head. "**Curaga**. That should help with the pain."

The woman smiled painfully. "A little bit…but…it's a bit too late. Just…relay my message…please? Tell them that Kijo, Roy, Shuyin, and Brahv are moving to destroy it. Tell them…tell them that Solene died…honorably." She coughed and a trickle of blood began to run down the corner of her mouth. "If you get a chance…let my family know…what happened." She reached up, grasping for anything she could reach. She found Majo's hand and drew it closer. She blinked and then shook her head, closing her eyes. "It's funny…Kijo had a ring…just like this…one…"

Majo felt her hand lose its grip on his own and saw her die. So she had traveled with Kijo. He glanced down. A ring…just like his? He shook his head, staring down at the piece of jewelry. Majo blinked.

It was clearing up. The dark coloration of the ring was beginning to fade and the black was returning to darker grays, then lighter grays until bits were bright enough to be called white.

He was still alive.


	16. Values

So here we are again. Kijo is still alive. I think I may have done that part too quickly but perhaps I'll go and change it later. I still think it had to be done. I'm not ready to kill off my main character yet.

Did I say yet? That um…doesn't mean anything. Honestly. Stop reading into it.

Seriously. Stop.

In any case. I hope that this helps flesh out Kijo a little bit more about what he holds dear to him and stuff. Also…Zenshin and Rikku are the only ones who will really pick this out but I took a quote from one of those spheres and I changed it a bit to fit the circumstance…just one word though.

…

IT'S MY STORY I'LL DO WHAT I WANT!! cries

(I'm very grateful for the reviews and the criticism. It helps a lot! thumbs up)

Well…I'll do what I want within reason. I still don't own the characters or anything. Gosh…definitely don't own the characters. Or the places. Oh no.

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Chapter 15

Values

The first thing he noticed was metal.

The shiny surfaces of steel and other products that made up some vast machine far above his head.

That was what he noticed first.

The second thing he noticed, when he tried to move, was pain.

"Ow…"

Kijo whimpered, leaning back down and resuming his prostrate position. His whole body ached and hurt. He felt like there was a small fire somewhere in his chest. What could make him feel like that though? And for that matter, where was he?

Kijo looked up at the sky above him, only to find that there wasn't any sky. His view was blocked by the hulking mass of metal. It moved, as though breathing overhead. Further beyond that, it seemed as though there was a ceiling of sorts. It glowed softly with an innumerable amount of blue colored glyphs.

His mind wasn't racing, nor was it calm…it seemed to simply be afloat somewhere else. He couldn't focus on any one idea for very long. He wondered briefly if he was in shock.

Breathing hurt. More than it probably should have. Kijo reached up and felt at his chest. His fingers came away with something wet and red. Blood, he realized, and his own as well. He felt gingerly around the wet area and found a small hole in his flesh. It hurt a lot when he ran his fingers over it.

Then he remembered.

Cursing softly to himself he reached down and fumbled to open the latch on a pouch at his side. Inside were some basic medical supplies that he kept with him at most times. When he undid the latch and reached inside he was dismayed to find that most of the vials inside had broken.

Feeling carefully around the broken glass, he found one that was in tact and pulled it out. It was a hi-potion. Uncorking the lid, he downed the concoction. It tasted fairly bland, mostly like water but as soon as it cleared his throat, he felt something warm course through him, like a soft fire, burning away his ailments.

Kijo knew that it wouldn't fix the bullet hole or remove the bullet…but it would lessen the pain and help stop the bleeding. It was incredible stuff really. He didn't understand how it worked. Majo had tried to explain it to him once, though it was far too complicated for Kijo to even begin to comprehend.

He struggled to sit up, propping himself up on his arms. It still hurt to move, though not nearly as much, and it was getting easier to breathe. Silently, he began to check himself for wounds. The hole in his chest was near his collar bone. Kijo remembered Shuyin having shot at him. He had been aiming for his head…but Kijo had raised his sword and…well it was freak luck but somehow he had avoided a fatal blow. He silently thanked whatever might be listening to him.

But there were other things wrong with him besides the gunshot wound. His arms and legs were bruised and his head ached as well, as though it had hit something. He glanced around and saw that he wasn't on the platform where he had been shot. The floor where he sat was on a slight incline and seemed to curve downward. He must have somehow fallen…or been thrown to the bottom of the sphere after he had fallen unconscious. Which meant that above him…

He craned his neck upwards and stared at the giant machina above him. It was Vegnagun. It was still standing. Still breathing. Still functional. Whatever Shuyin had been planning to do…it didn't appear to have anything to do with harming the machina.

Reaching down into his pack again he removed another vial still in tact and downed the liquid inside. It appeared that it was the last one available to him, so he removed the pack and left it where he was sitting. Moving carefully, Kijo stood up. He wasn't sure how much blood he had lost or how long he had been unconscious. It was still difficult to think clearly.

"Alright…" he whispered to himself. It was easier to get his whirling thoughts straight when he said them aloud. "So…I'm still deep within Bevelle. That means that there are probably enemies everywhere." He started walking, moving up the incline in the general direction of the platform above. "I don't know how long I've been unconscious…but I was still bleeding so probably not more than a few hours." The incline grew steeper and Kijo leaned forward, using his hands to help scale what was quickly becoming a wall.

"Obviously I wasn't captured…so they probably don't know I'm here." His mind flashed back to the image of Shuyin sighting down the barrel of his gun. "Shuyin defected…" Kijo winced and reached upwards to grip at one of the protruding ledges that lines the spherical room and drag himself upwards. "Dammit. And I don't know if he's changed sides or is doing this just for himself."

Still speaking to himself he made his way carefully up the wall of the sphere and finally managed to make it all the way to the bridge above. Struggling with his own dizziness he pulled himself onto the glowing bridge. After catching his breath, he looked around. There were no guards…Shuyin was nowhere to be seen, and Brahv's body also wasn't there.

"So they really don't know about me yet…" Kijo said softly. They must have disposed of Brahv's body and he had no idea where Shuyin was. He didn't feel like trying to figure it out.

At the end of the platform, the giant machina still rested, breathing peacefully. Kijo ran his fingers through his hair in thought. He had been supposed to destroy this thing. But at this point…what could be done? He didn't have the weaponry needed to dispose of it.

Blinking, Kijo reached for his side and felt his scabbard but when he ran his fingers up the length of wood, he discovered that there was no sword. His gun had run out of bullets before he had even entered the room. He was completely defenseless.

"How the hell am I going to get out of here?"

He realized that he had made that decision. The decision to get out of Bevelle. It was instinct really, but there was nothing wrong with it. He had to get out. He could do no more good here. He was wounded, weaponless, unable to complete his mission. All of his men were lost in one way or another. The only option now was to leave.

"Sounds easy enough…" Kijo chuckled.

Still laughing dryly, he turned his back on the enormous machina. "See you later, metal-face." As he moved toward the exit, he thought he heard contraption make some sort of noise, it sounded like a musical note of some sort played on a piano, or an organ. Majo had always been the one interested in music. Not Kijo.

But it sounded like it was saying goodbye.

Kijo stopped for a second but didn't turn around. After a moment he began moving again, shaking his head. "Weird."

The great metal doors opened as he neared them and Kijo stepped through, staring at the ground in thought.

"The hell?"

Kijo's head shot up to find two guards. The soldiers turned to look back at the door that they were undoubtedly guarding. For a split second, Kijo saw their eyes go from innocent confusion to surprised alarm.

He moved like lightening, giving his body over to instinct and basic reactions. He saw the rifles raise and the barrels point at him but he had already closed the gap. One hand shot out and grabbed the barrel of the gun nearest to him, pointing it up toward the ceiling even as it fired. He whirled around the guard, grabbing his other hand and twisting it behind his back. In a flurry of intricate movements, he removed the rifle from the surprised soldier's free hand and flipped it over so the tip rested comfortably against the bottom of his chin.

"Don't move."

His voice was ice and the soldier could feel it. His partner kept his own gun trained on Kijo but his eyes had changed. He wasn't going to shoot.

"Drop your gun, and kick it off the bridge."

The soldier hesitated.

"_Do it._"

He did it. The gun clattered off the side and then clanked loudly as it fell to the ground beneath the bridge. Kijo smiled a friendly smile.

"Thanks!"

With a quick jab from the rifle, he knocked his captive unconscious and let him slide to the floor. In a flash he was next to the other guard and in an instant knocked him out as well. Kijo straightened up, shouldering the gun before smiling again at the two men. "You're lucky I can't be wasting ammo right now. Sorry if you get in trouble later."

He moved quickly and silently. The halls were empty for the most part. Bevelle obviously wasn't expecting to be taken from behind at this point. That was a mistake. He managed to knock out three more soldiers as he went before they even noticed him. Gritting his teeth, he realized that he was nearing the Gaol room. Without backup, it was going to be difficult to take the room.

He began moving slower, slinking around corners and listening for signs of life before leaving any cover. When he had gone a good ways, he leaned against a wall and tried to think. He had lost the map that Solene had given him…but if things were as he remembered them, the Gaol room should be found around the next turn.

Moving as quietly as possible, Kijo crept down the dim hallway. Without a sound, he slipped around the corner and quickly scouted the area. There was no one in sight. Kijo was too nervous to actually sigh, but he did move with more confidence toward the giant door at the end of the new corridor.

As he approached it, he began to hear voices. Kijo pressed his back to the wall and sidled up to the door, cupping a hand against his ear and pressing it to the cold metal.

"The only reason the war's draggin' on is because Zanarkand refuses to surrender."

Kijo listened intently. Obviously it was a guard. And he was talking to someone else. There were at least two soldiers in there. He had figured as much, but it was still good to have confirmation. With any luck they would talk some more and he would be able to decipher a more exact number.

"You're wrong!"

Kijo nearly coughed in surprise. That was Shuyin's voice!

"If you'd stop attacking…" He sounded angry, his voice was low and threatening but something about it made him sound like a trapped animal. "There wouldn't _be_ a war!"

There was laughter, obviously degrading laughter. Kijo could more or less picture the scene beyond the door. Shuyin was trapped in one of those cages and the Bevelle guards were probably all crowded around, jeering and laughing.

"We're not falling for that."

_BANG_

"Gah!"

More laughter. Kijo could see it. One shot fired for fun. Probably in the arm or leg or something. All of the guards laughing at him. It was disgusting…but it was Shuyin. The one who had betrayed him, who tried to kill him. Kijo smiled a thin smile. It wasn't that hard not to feel sorry for the bastard.

"Someday…" It was hard to hear and Kijo pressed his ear against the door to listen more closely. Shuyin's voice was low and dangerous. It didn't sound like a man who had been trapped anymore. It sounded more frightening than that and the guards' laughter died down quickly.

"Your precious weapons will end up destroying you."

Kijo fingered the trigger on the gun he had taken from the guard outside the large sphere. A line like that was almost too perfect. He felt it was almost unfair to the poor guards inside to have something as cryptic as that suddenly come true. It was too dramatic for him, really.

But he couldn't pass it up.

The door flew open, and Kijo dove inside; he lifted the gun as the guards all turned to look at what they expected to be another one of them just coming to check in. In an instant, three were down, one dead, the other two bleeding from painful wounds.

Without meaning to, Kijo's eyes flicked toward the Gaol behind the guards. He saw Shuyin, his back was turned to him, but he could feel his triumphant smile.

It made him angry.

With a primal scream, Kijo launched himself forward, still firing at the guards as they fumbled for their own rifles only to fall to the ground with holes in their flesh. One fell backwards and tumbled with a scream over the edge of the pit.

Then it was over. Kijo stood amidst the bodies on the floor. There were nine lying there. Eight were still, eyes glazed over and rolled back into their skulls. One was gasping desperately for breath and gripping his throat painfully.

_BANG_

He lay still.

Kijo stood there silently for a long time. He did not look up at the cage in front of him, focusing on the crimson pool beneath his feet. He couldn't trust himself. He couldn't trust himself not to kill the man within the cage. It would be so simple to just raise the gun and pull the trigger. So simple to watch his eyes widen and then glaze over.

"I'm glad you're alive, Kijo."

He didn't look up. He already knew where he was. Shuyin had moved to the edge of the cage and was standing, looking down on him like some great tactician looks down on pawns.

"I…I never wanted to kill you."

"And what about Brahv?"

It came out like vomit, and sounded like venom. He couldn't avoid it and now he was looking up at him. Staring at the blonde haired boy…that was all he really was, just a boy.

"I never wanted to."

What was he saying? He had betrayed all of them. He had killed Brahv. He had tried to kill Kijo. And now he was saying he didn't want to?

"Then why? Why would you kill Brahv?"

Shuyin looked down for a moment and then turned away. He looked out to the side of the cage as though he was looking out over a great span of distance and time.

"Not just him…I shot Roy too."

Kijo could hardly believe what he was hearing.

"I had to do it. He would never have understood."

Understand what?

"I thought…I thought maybe you would. Maybe Brahv would. But…but you didn't. You still don't…"

"What is there to understand?" Kijo wanted to yell, to scream and shout but he couldn't raise his voice. Instead it was low and sounded hollow. "Money? Fame? Was it for Bevelle? What, did they turn on you now? What couldn't I understand?"

"See? I knew it…" Shuyin sounded sad. Disappointed. Genuinely depressed. "I really didn't want to do it. But…if I had told you, you would have stopped me."

What was he talking about? What was he thinking? Kijo wanted to shoot him. To make the words stop and just be done with it. But he didn't.

"I wanted to use it. To use Vegnagun to destroy Bevelle! Don't you see? Why fight the rest of the war when you can just blow this whole damn city to nothing with their own weapons?"

Kijo was silent. It was crazy. Shuyin was crazy. But…the way he talked…Kijo could hear reason. He could hear the possibilities within the madness.

"If we were to do this…we could save Zanarkand from this war! They wouldn't need to send any more soldiers to die! They wouldn't need to send the men and the women here to die! They wouldn't need to send…" His voice lowered. "They wouldn't need to send the summoners…"

And there it was. The reason. Kijo didn't know why he hadn't thought of it earlier.

"They wouldn't need to send Lenne."

Shuyin turned and their eyes locked again. Kijo braced himself for the icy chill that accompanied his gaze but…it was different. Shuyin's eyes were soft. They were human…he could see the compassion within them. He could feel his love for Lenne, just as strongly as all those times he had felt his hatred for everyone else.

"But…why would you turn on us? Why did you shoot us? Brahv, Roy, me?" Kijo shook his head, breaking the stare and feeling his own anger rush back into him. "I can't forgive you for that! Dammit Shuyin…I'm never going to forgive you for that."

"What?"

Kijo didn't look up. Shuyin's voice had changed. It didn't reflect the compassion he had just seen. It didn't reflect the humanity he had just witnessed. It was something else. Something awful. Kijo looked down, away from the cage because he feared what he might see.

"You can't_ forgive_ me?"

He laughed. Kijo winced.

"Forgive me for what?"

Kijo blinked. His head whipped up, eyes meeting with Shuyin's, but he did not back down. Rage was alive inside of him like a beast and it would not be quieted by Shuyin's dark glare.

"You don't know?" He laughed a short barking laugh. "You think you've done nothing?" He stepped back, flinging his arms wide. "You really are insane! You deserve to rot in this fucking cage, Shuyin! You've killed two comrades and tried to kill me too! You have no regard for people, do you? Those were people…human lives. And you killed them?" Kijo laughed. "It hurts me every time I have to kill my enemies because they are all human. And you just callously offed two of your partners…friends even. And you would have done it to me as well.

"And you don't think that's something to be sorry for? Ha! Then stay here and die! And if you think I'm no better than you then think again you fucking traitor…"

Kijo paused, lifting a hand and pointing it at Shuyin. "Because unlike you, I'm sorry that I need to leave you here. And even if you never 'understand' why I'm doing this…it's going to haunt me for the rest of my life. Because I'm still human enough to feel sorry for doing something like this. And if you still can't feel sorry after pulling the trigger on three of your comrades…maybe you should rethink what kind of person you are."

Kijo turned, his boots made ripples in the blood that had pooled around his feet. He walked slowly, purposefully toward the exit, shouldering his gun as he went.

"No, I'm not sorry!"

Shuyin was shouting now. Kijo kept walking, neither speeding up or slowing down as he went. Let him talk. The man was dead to him now.

"I haven't done anything wrong!" His voice changed…the anger drained away and when he spoke again, Kijo nearly stopped. "I know you're listening. If she was your girl, what would you do!"

His pace didn't change but Kijo longed to turn back to him. The pain in his voice was palpable. But it changed again.

"How can you blame me for trying to use their weapon?" The anger returned and his voice rose, echoing all throughout the chamber. "It was the only way I could save the summoner!" They were mixing together now. The compassion and sadness was mingling with the hatred and creating something new entirely.

"What would you do if you were me?"

What would he do? Kijo stopped. He was at the entrance now, his hand resting on the door that lead into the next corridor. What would he do? He thought of Majo, he would be finished training the summoners by now. They were probably moving out, if not already in battle. He thought of Majo stepping onto the field. He pictured the bullets and the death that was inherent in war.

What would he do?

"Let me out…" Shuyin's voice lowered. There was a clank as he fell to his knees. "I want to see her…"

Kijo let his hand fall from the metal surface of the door. He was silent for a long time. Finally, without turning, he spoke.

"You asked me what I would do."

There was no sound from behind him. He wasn't even sure if Shuyin was listening, but he forged ahead anyway. "If I were in your place, and someone close to me were going to fight in this war…" A smile split across his face as he looked down at the pearl-white ring on his finger. "I would trust them."

And with that said, Kijo pressed the tiny glowing glyph on the doorway and pulled his gun back out from its holster. "And if you have any faith in Lenne, you'd trust her to."

The door lifted and Kijo stepped across the barrier. Only then did he allow himself to look back out over his shoulder.

"I can't forgive you. But if you trust her, I'm sure that she will. And I'm sure she'll come here to save you. Try and stay alive until then."

And the door slammed shut behind him.


	17. Escape

Sorry for the break in updates. I think Flame Rising may have gotten to me a little bit or something even though it was a bullshit review. In any case, I'm back now and I know that lately, the characterization has been lacking, but I promise all of you that it will get better in the next chapter. Keep on reading and reviewing!

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Chapter 16

Escape

Kijo felt calmer now, far calmer than he would have expected himself to feel in the very depths of the enemy base. He moved quickly, professionally through the dimly lit hallways. The scattered guards were dispatched easily and with little struggle. His body was moving almost entirely by itself now, his mind somewhere else entirely. Even while he expertly ducked around a corner and removed a rifle from a surprised guards hands, his mind dwelled on other topics. He let the guard fall, stunned and unconscious, and moved onwards down the lengthy corridor that led to the elevator.

He was thinking about Shuyin, the soldier he had left behind. No doubt he was raving in his cage back there. Ranting to no one in particular to get him out. Kijo shivered as he stepped onto the elevator's surface and reloaded the rifle he had just stolen from another guard. Shuyin's drive was intimidating to say the least. His heart really was in the right place, but it was his head that had the real problems. What was he doing this for? To save Lenne…but there had to be other ways. He was dangerous. He had killed two of his comrades because they "wouldn't understand."

Kijo sneered at the memory of his words. It was despicable and Kijo knew it was the right thing to leave him there…but…

With a sigh Kijo ran a hand through his hair. He couldn't help but feel sorry for Shuyin. After all he did, no matter how crazy he was or how likely he was to do something drastic…

"Fucking hell," Kijo whispered. The light above him was growing brighter and the corridor's dim lights below were already invisible. Kijo was secretly glad that the elevator had risen so quickly because he might have turned around right then and let Shuyin out.

Briefly, Kijo wondered if there was any way he could leave the elevator without causing a fight to break out. He didn't even know what time it was so…for all he knew there might be an enormous hustle and bustle when he came up.

"This is just wonderful, isn't it?"

But even as he spoke to himself, Kijo knew that he was going to get out. His eyes flitted to the ring that rested on his finger and smiled softly. He had people waiting for him. He had promises to keep, and he wasn't going to leave them waiting. If he had anything to do with it, this ring on his finger wouldn't be turning black any time soon, and neither would Majo's.

As his head broke over the edge of the floor and rose to the level of the guard rail, he was met almost immediately with shouts and confused exclamations. It must have been the middle of the day because the room was packed with monks and soldiers who were off duty. Kijo cursed silently to himself but leapt the guard rail.

"There's more enemies beneath! They're storming the catacombs!" Kijo shouted at the top of his lungs. With any luck it would buy him a little time. He dashed through the shocked crowd which was staring at him in confusion. "Quickly! Get some soldiers down there!"

The crowd began to rumble slowly with whispers and exchanged murmurs. Kijo forged ahead as the crowd parted for him and soon found himself at the door that led outside. The mist began to fill in the space where he had just darted through.

He stopped for a second to reach forward and push the large doors open.

"Hey, wait a minute! I've never heard of any catac-"

And he was out.

Kijo didn't stop running because he knew he wasn't safe, but he let a large smile split across his face. It was funny, really. He wouldn't have dared dream for such an easy exit. Now, of course, they would begin organizing and sending teams after him, if not sending word ahead to the soldiers positioned on the Highbridge.

Kijo ran as quickly as he could down the streets, waiting for the alarm to sound. He wondered if it even would. Bevelle probably couldn't afford such a wide-spread alert. It might cause the people to panic, and no one wanted that. It could have gone either way, but there was no use in taking chances.

After several minutes of dashing down the city streets, he barreled out into the wide circle that surrounded the main gates. Beyond that was the Highbridge. What would happen there? It would be the perfect place to trap him. Was that why the alarm hadn't sounded yet? Kijo shook his head. No…now wasn't the time for doubt. He couldn't stop or turn around at this point. He could only move forward. Get back to Zanarkand. That's all he could do.

He jogged up to the large gates and saluted the guards standing duty. "Message for the front lines, sirs!"

One of the guards cocked his head to one side and yawned, stepping forward. "What kind of message is it?" His voice dripped skepticism.

"That's for the commanding officer's ears only, sir!"

The officer eyed Kijo carefully. "Look, I'm _bored_; I won't tell anyone if you won't."

Kijo faltered convincingly. "Erm…alright then, I suppose it could do no harm." The guard smiled, pleased with himself. "It seems his wife has fallen ill."

"Poor guy," the guard muttered, clearly annoyed that the information wasn't more fulfilling. "Alright, soldier, get on with your mission then."

Kijo thanked the guard and jogged through the Highbridge gates. There it was, the enormous carpeted stretch that could hold every trap he could imagine. Kijo gulped and began running, a light jog at first, moving faster and faster and faster until he was sprinting down the red carpet. He was going more on paranoia than premonition, but whatever it was, it drove him to run as fast as he could down that straight path.

"Slow down there, young one."

Kijo heard the voice, old and wise sounding, but didn't slow. It was too close, impossibly close. No one had been following him, and yet that voice had sounded from almost directly behind his ear. He didn't turn, but leaned forward and sped up.

"What is your rush, man from Zanarkand?"

There was a flash of movement and a blurred figure darted past Kijo's vision, coming to a swift halt fifteen feet ahead of him. Kijo stopped as well, immediately leaping back and adopting a more defensible state.

"Your reactions are good, I'll give you that."

An old man smiled through a multitude of wrinkles and facial hair. He wore long robes and looked very frail, but Kijo could tell that he couldn't be judged by his appearance.

"My name is Trema, it is very nice to meet you."

Kijo remained silent, eyeing the old man. He didn't have any weapons, but he held himself with confidence.

"It seems you've been causing some trouble in Bevelle, am I right?"

Kijo felt a chill run down his spine. Whoever this guy was, he already knew a good deal about Kijo. It would be frivolous to try and talk his way out of this one. Kijo smiled a sheepish smile and laughed lightly.

"Well, Trema, sir," he began with a cheerful tone. "The thing is…"

In a flash he was darting forward, leg extending upwards toward the old man's chest. For an instant, he caught a glimpse of a smile through his shaggy beard. His foot pushed through empty space as Trema ducked beneath the attack and flowed to the side, moving fluidly, more like a being of liquid than a being of flesh and bone.

Kijo spun on his heel and leapt away from the old man as a palm flew dangerously toward him. The wrinkled, leathery skin stopped where his head had been only moments before. Landing back on his two feet, Kijo's arm flashed out, pushing away Trema's offending palm. Gripping the man's wrist tightly, Kijo stepped in, locking one of his opponent's legs in place and struck hard with his elbow. The blow connected and Kijo let Trema be thrown back by the strike, stumbling over Kijo's leg and toppling backwards.

Before Kijo could turn to run further down the Highbridge, Trema's body stiffened and then whirled crazily mid-fall. In an instant, the old man landed on one foot, then a hand, then his other foot and finally the remaining hand. His body was low to the ground, but his recovery was amazing.

The old man was up in a second, wrinkled fists and shriveled legs striking again and again toward Kijo. It was all Kijo could do to parry the oncoming blows as he was driven back toward the edge of the Highbridge, where clear, turquoise water lapped silently below.

A weathered fist whizzed by his face, grazing his cheek, and Kijo spun under the outstretched arm, his own hand flitting out and stopping Trema's knee from catching him in the face. He moved closer in, his shoulder connecting with the old man's thin chest and digging in. Then, like a giant lever, Kijo flipped himself upwards, Trema catapulting over his shoulder and hurtling off the edge of the Highbridge, landing in the water with a splash.

Kijo didn't watch as the old man came back up for air, but instead, took off, running down the Highbridge, now very much out of breath.

As the wrinkled face broke through the surface of the water, a laugh echoed down the length of the bridge. It was deep and menacing. Trema convulsed with tremors of the bottomless laughter until tears sprang to his eyes.

"This isn't over, warrior from Zanarkand!" His voice sounded in Kijo's ears as though he was standing right next to him. "Our fun isn't yet over! But you've passed the test! Come back soon, we shall see how you like my pets!"

Then Kijo was out, darting through the gates and into the crystalline light of the Macalania woods. The two guards standing near the outside door glanced at him first with disinterest, then confusion.

In a mixture of adrenaline and terror, Kijo barreled into the nearest one, crashing to the dusty ground and pulling his gun from his grasp. When he had wrenched it free from the man's fingers, he turned it on the other guard who was woefully unprepared and searching desperately for his weapon. He fell with a hole in his chest, gasping for air.

The gunshot echoed through the woods, and there were shouts from further down the way. That would be the Bevelle encampment, Kijo thought. They would be sending people to scout out the incident. He should retreat briefly until he could move safely.

His own hand caught his eye as the brilliant white of the ring on his finger shone in the strange light of the woods.

"No," he said softly. "He's waiting for me…so…" Kijo pulled a sword from the scabbard of one of the fallen guards. "I can't keep him waiting any longer. It's time to go home."

He couldn't tell exactly what he was running on at this point, his limbs felt like lead, but they moved like air. His lungs felt like they were on fire, his whole body felt beaten and broken. But he was running, and running _fast_. He would have to if he was going to make it through the camp. The element of surprise would only last so long…thirty seconds at most. By that point, he would need to be out of the camp and onto the battlefield, at least past the first line of trenches.

It was impossible.

But he wasn't slowing down.

He broke out of the woods like an arrow, streaking across the camp, darting between soldiers and medics. He held his weapons low, not making use of them yet, but keeping his trigger finger tensed and his sword arm ready.

Fifteen steps in, someone began shouting. Twenty-five steps and there was movement. Forty and he heard a gunshot.

Sixty and he was out of the camp.

Sixty-one, and he was flying through the air, diving headlong off of the cliff wall that separated the Bevelle camp from the battle below. It was only ten feet or so, but as he looked down, Kijo could already see a problem. One of the larger mechs was standing idle in the spot where he would undoubtedly land. The large stone and metal beast twisted silently in place, unaware of the man hurtling down towards it.

His body curled up on instinct, and when he hit, his limbs shot out, going limp as the mech roared beneath his landing and lurched forward, toppling over, face first. Kijo felt something in his left wrist snap, and he let go of the gun he had been carrying. He rolled several times before catching his footing and leaping to his feet. Before they even his the ground again, he was sprinting.

His left arm felt cold, and he knew that it was bleeding, though not too much. The mech's tough hide had left long scratches down the length of his arm, and the blood was just beginning to rise. He could hear more shouts from behind him now, and the sound of guns was all too audible, as were the whizzing bullets that hit the dirt nearby.

But even so, he could feel safety marching forward to meet him. Through a haze of tears, sweat, and blood that fell before his eyes, he could just make out the cliff walls opposite the Bevelle side. That meant safety. And what's more, something was moving toward him. It floated above the ground as though it were flying. It looked like it had wings, and through his hazy vision, Kijo could make out a myriad of colors.

Whatever it was, he felt, for some reason, that it was safe, and that it was coming for him.

The thing swooped closer and closer until Kijo could feel it rushing under him. He collapsed in the middle of his stride and when he fell, he could feel warm feathers cushion his drop. He let his eyes close, confident that the thing would take him to safety.


	18. Alright

This chapter is dedicated to a great fan and a greater friend who you might know as Rikku the bluefirevixon. It's a bit long but I think it's got more meat to it than most of the other chapters that I noticed have been lacking in it.

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Chapter 17

Alright

"Yes! Lenne that's it!" Majo shouted excitedly, his voice cracking as tears began to appear at the edge of his sleep-deprived eyes. "Valefor has him, now bring him back! Be careful not to let Kijo drop!"

Lenne smiled softly at Majo's excitement. It was the most passionate she had seen him since she had begun training under him. In his fit of excitement, he seemed to have forgotten that summoners don't really control their aeons. It wasn't up to her whether Valefor dropped Kijo or not. All she could do was ask Valefor to do its best.

The graceful aeon wheeled around with its new passenger and flew higher into the air, out of the way of bullets and battle. Valefor was one of her favorite aeons, though she loved them all very much. She had always felt very akin to Valefor in the way it flew. Its grace reminded her of dance, something she had always enjoyed. The other aeons lacked that primal elegance.

"I knew it," Majo mumbled. Lenne glanced at him, barely able to hear his words. "I knew he'd come back. I knew it."

Lenne smiled again, remembering the ordeal only moments ago when Majo had first spotted his comrade.

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"Majo, sir! It looks like there's a commotion in the enemy camp of some sort," one of the soldier's had yelled.

Majo had been sitting in silence, his back against the cliff wall, staring blankly at the white ring on his finger. When he looked up, his eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep and deep bags hung beneath them.

"What?" he asked.

"Something's going on in the enemy camp," the soldier had repeated.

Lenne glanced toward the camp at the far end of the field just in time to see a man leap from the ledge of the high ground downwards toward the battlefield.

"Ah!" She shouted in alarm as the man crashed into a large mech, sending it toppling to the ground. It must have hurt because when the man began to run again, he was stumbling a great deal. He seemed to be barely conscious.

Majo's hand clamped down on Lenne's shoulder and she jumped again in alarm. His bloodshot eyes were wide open now, staring past her and out toward the stumbling man.

"Help him!" he had shouted. "Quick! Get an aeon out there now!"

In a flash, Lenne had summoned Valefor, letting the great winged aeon fly low across the scarred ground of the plains, dipping lower to pick up the staggering soldier just as he fell, seeming to lose consciousness.

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"Get a medic out here!" Majo shouted as Valefor flapped gracefully to a halt in front of Lenne. Majo dashed around the aeon and stopped when he saw the battered soldier on the creature's back.

His breath caught in his throat and Majo could feel a tear rise up into his tired, sunken eyes. The mage fell to his knees, grabbing onto Valefor's soft feathers to steady himself and let out a single deep sob that racked his whole body.

"You dumbass…" he whispered hoarsely. "The medic team is tired enough without having to take care of your sorry self."

Majo stood, feeling the clogged sensation in his throat melt away. Kijo lay across Valefor's back, nestled in the soft feathers of the aeon. His left arm was covered in blood but didn't appear to be bleeding anymore. His clothes were mostly in tatters and his left hand hung at a funny angle. He was breathing in quick, short bursts.

"**Curaga.**" Majo said, waving his arm over his fallen comrade and letting his MP drain away, summoning healing magic into the fallen soldier. The blood that covered his arm faded away and the bruises that speckled his skin disappeared into nothing. To his dismay, Majo saw that his hand hadn't moved at all and still stuck out in a strange position.

"The medic unit is here."

Majo looked up at the sound of Lenne's soft voice. He smiled a tired smile.

"Good, tell them that his left wrist is broken and to just check for other injuries."

Lenne nodded and turned to tell the medic crew. Majo watched her for a moment and then coughed.

"Lenne?"

The songstress turned back and cocked her head to one side.

"Thank Valefor for me?"

Lenne smiled a warm smile and laughed. "Thank him yourself."

Majo blinked and looked down, embarrassed. "Right…will do."

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Kijo was taken to the medic tent and after half an hour, was determined to be in stable condition. One of his ribs was cracked and his wrist was broken, but they had been fixed up back to working condition fairly easily. When the medics had finished with him, he was removed from the medic tent to make room for other patients.

Majo followed him every step of the way. It was strange. All this time, he hadn't realized himself withering away, but now that Kijo lay before him once again, his own diminishing grew very clear to him. He had been wasting away all this time, the stress of commanding the summoners and the constant reminder of Lord Yevon's secret had weighed far too heavily upon him.

Now that Kijo was with him once again, he could feel hopeful again, something he had lost earlier without even noticing it. How far had he slipped since Kijo had left Zanarkand. No doubt Kijo would have some stupid remark about it. He had always been able to tell when Majo was upset about something.

There was movement at the edge of Majo's vision and the tired mage turned to see who was approaching.

"How is he?"

It was Lenne. Majo smiled at the approaching songstress and motioned for her to sit down with him.

"He's just fine," he said. The words felt good to hear out loud. "Most of his injuries were probably self inflicted from stupid maneuvers anyway." He chuckled, and when he did he realized how long it had been since he had laughed. It was an alien sound to him. "He'll probably wake up soon, according to the medics."

"I'm glad to hear that," Lenne said with a smile.

Majo blinked and looked up from Kijo for a moment. Lenne's smile was strange, he realized. Her voice too…it sounded strange, forced. Something was wrong. Was that why she had come to him? He was in charge of her unit, it was his responsibility to address the issues of his subordinates.

But he couldn't bring himself to ask what was wrong. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Majo had found some peace with himself. Some brief happiness. He couldn't bear to lose it so soon. Silently, he prayed that Lenne wouldn't speak again.

"Kijo…"

Damn, Majo thought, and sighed.

"Kijo was leading a team of soldiers," she said slowly. Majo nodded, trying to block her out. He had led a large group out to Bevelle, none of which had returned. They were all surely dead. The likelihood of any of them leaving alive were slim to none.

"Shuyin…was in that team," Lenne said, her voice rising slightly.

Shuyin? The name rung a bell, but Majo couldn't put his finger on it. He didn't really want to either. The name did have significance though, and try as he might; he began to remember the face attached to the name.

"And…Kijo came back."

That's right. Shuyin was that young corporal who spoke up in the conference regarding the mobilization of the summoners. Lenne was in a relationship with the corporal, she had expressed concern over his being in the Bevelle infiltration team with Kijo.

"But…no one else from his team…"

And his eyes. The memory of the boy's eyes came rushing back to him. How could he have forgotten eyes like that? Why did he have to remember them? They were eyes like Lord Yevon's. Dangerous eyes. Reckless. Majo shivered.

"No one else was following him…"

Shut up! Majo's mind was reeling now, the memory of the young corporal dislodging other memories he had all but buried. His conversation with Lord Yevon came crashing to the front of his mind. The entire plan, when was it going to happen? Why hadn't he told anyone about it yet? Surely someone could have done something. So why did he remain silent? It must be too late now. Surely any day now…unless it had happened already?

"Shuyin…wasn't following him."

Shut up! Shut up dammit! Majo was shaking, his fingers digging into his legs until it hurt. This damn woman had brought it back, had ruined his peace. Now all he could think of was that terrible secret. And what if it had already come to pass? What if they were all sitting out here with nowhere to go back to. Bevelle would win eventually and march victoriously toward Zanarkand…to nothing. What wonderful irony…but nothing good could come from it.

"I…I still don't think he…"

_Shut up!_ You little bitch! Shut your fucking mouth! It isn't fair dammit! And what if it hadn't been done yet? What if it was going to go any day now? It could happen any second now. It could happen now, or now, or now!

"I mean…he can't be…dead, right?" Lenne looked hopefully at the mage sitting beside her. Her eyes were moist, but the tears were being held back. Majo didn't see any of it. He couldn't take another word of it.

"He promised me that he wouldn't…"

_Shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up!_

"Shut-"

"Morning everybody."

Majo stopped, nearly biting down on his tongue as he halted on "up." He whirled around, leaning forward enough to fall over as he looked down at his comrade. Kijo lay there motionless, but his eyes were open and a grin split his face. Majo's brain could barely handle the surge of information. Kijo looked peaceful, content, lying there and looking up at him. He looked happy, and it made Majo happy to see him.

But only a moment before…the contrast was sharp enough for Majo to cut himself on.

Kijo blinked and turned his neck, which was painfully stiff. He frowned slightly. "Well…ok not morning, but good afternoon."

Majo heard the words, but his mind couldn't comprehend the meaning behind them. He was at a loss, staring blankly at his friend on the ground. He couldn't think…and definitely couldn't speak.

"God…I am _so _stiff…my whole body hurts." Kijo tried to move, wincing in pain. "Who healed me? They did an _awful _job."

Nothing. He could do nothing. He could just stare, although he couldn't comprehend what he was looking at.

"Oi…Majo," Kijo grinned devilishly. "I bet you did it, didn't you?"

Nothing.

"Well you still suck at white magic."

What was he saying?

"Magical bastard."

"Knucklehead."

Did he say that? Majo thought his mouth had moved, and it sounded like him…

"MP whore."

"Meat shield."

It was him. He was talking. This was what they always did. This was their thing, their habit. And now their eyes had locked. Why were they staring at each other? Majo knew it was important. He wasn't going to lose.

Kijo's face twitched and then his mouth split, peels of laughter exploding outward. His body curled up from the effort of laughing and he stopped in a second, clutching his stomach in pain, but still giggling slightly.

Majo realized he was laughing too. Then it made sense. This was Kijo. This is how they acted. It's what they always did. Majo let the laughter die and smiled condescendingly at Kijo who smiled back.

"That makes 58," Majo said with a mocking sneer.

"How many have I got?"

"Zero."

"Give it time."

Majo laughed again. It sounded so natural. It _was_ natural. Why did that surprise him so much?

"You always say that."

Kijo didn't say anything to that, but just smiled. Things were how they were supposed to be. Majo looked different, sure, but it wouldn't be long 'til he had him back his old self. Poor guy must have been working himself into the ground. The idiot.

"You never change," Majo said softly. "You know that?"

"Yeah," Kijo replied. "It's one of my better qualities; you could use some of it."

Majo smiled, really smiled. Kijo knew him. He knew Majo had changed, for the worse probably. He knew this wasn't something he was going to fix in a moment, but that didn't matter to him. That alone was nice to think about.

"And who's this young lady?"

Lenne, who had been watching the strange moment with an ever-widening grin, was shook from her thoughts.

"Oh, um, my name is Lenne," she bowed her head. "It's nice to meet you."

"Lenne?" Kijo's smile dropped. So this was her. This was the girl he was going to have to explain everything to. This was the girl who was going to knock some sense into Shuyin.

Majo watched Kijo closely. Something was wrong. His smile had disappeared. He looked deep in thought. He had been wrong, Majo realized. Kijo wasn't the same person. He had changed, if only slightly. There was nothing wrong with that, he told himself, nothing wrong with that at all. But something about it made Majo feel insecure again, if only slightly.

"Lenne…" Kijo repeated. "You knew…Shuyin?"

Lenne leaned forward at the mention of his name. "Yes!"

What was happening? Majo watched Kijo closely. He was the same person…but…as soon as he mentioned Shuyin he had changed. What had happened? Why was Shuyin ruining everything? He had changed him, hadn't he? He had ruined Kijo, Majo was sure of it.

No. No that wasn't fair. People can change, and Kijo hadn't changed that much. He was just being serious for a moment. He had already shown that he was the same old Kijo he had always been; the same insults, the same losing record, the same hopeful attitude about the next time. Everything was going to be fine…it really was.

"You're probably wondering why he isn't here."

Lenne nodded slowly, unsure and a little frightened.

"Don't worry…he's alive."

Damn. Majo drew back, shocked that he had thought such a thing. What was he doing? Why was he letting this get to him? Everything was going to be ok. Kijo was back, everything was going to be ok.

Lenne's body sank with relief and tears came to her eyes. "Oh thank god, but where is he?"

"Well…" Kijo turned away. He couldn't look her in the eyes. How was he supposed to tell her he had gone insane? That he had killed two comrades and tried to kill him? He couldn't bring himself to look at her.

What was he doing? Majo felt himself trembling. He never did this. He was always headstrong, able to face whatever challenge laid before him. What had happened in Bevelle to make Kijo turn away, afraid? It wasn't right.

No! It's ok. Everything is ok. Kijo is back, he's the same guy he'd always known. It was ok. Everything was going to be alright.

"The thing is…"

Damn. How was he supposed to tell her this?

Why was he hesitating? What's wrong with him?

It's alright. It's alright. It's alright. It's alright.

Everything is-

_**BOOM**_

The earth rumbled. The mountains shook. The clouds above evaporated and the sky turned violent shades of crimson and steel. Mt. Gagazet let out a cry so deep and mournful that even the priests in the deepest rooms of Bevelle could hear it as clearly as any Ronso.

Everything is not alright.


	19. A Murdered City

This doesn't mean I'll be updating again any time soon. Sorry. Hope you enjoy. I'm starting to lose interest in this story to tell you the truth.

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Chapter 18

A Murdered City

The encampment shook violently as the earth trembled. The mountains groaned with the strain of sudden movement. All action on the scarred earth of the great plains ceased immediately. The impossible sound echoed, not off the cliffs, but off of the very sky itself, expanding ever outwards, repeating and repeating, a deafening noise. But not a single person covered their ears.

And gradually, ever so gradually, the sound began to change.

The exploding crash began to climb in tone, reaching higher pitches that stung the ears and made eyes water. The roaring echoes sharpened into more distinct sounds noises. One by one, every single face, Zanarkand or Bevelle, turned toward Mt. Gagazet, trying to see beyond it, toward the bright city that lay, shining like a star far away. And the noise grew louder still, the shrilling clamor becoming ever distinguishable to the horrified world that listened.

It was the screams of a murdered city.

It took an hour, possibly more, though no one could tell, for each anguished cry to make the journey from Zanarkand to the ears of Spira. In that time, no one moved an inch. Spira stood, motionless as the voices of a dead city reached them, grasping and clawing at every one, fighting each other to reach someone and tell them their tale. Men, children, women, the elderly. Their screams spread over Spira like nightfall, whispering their final words to all those who would listen.

And everyone did.

When the final desperate cry of the final dead man faded away, all of Spira was left in silence. It was so empty, so deep, some never recovered. Everyone wanted to break the silence. Every single person in Spira wished to say something, anything to reaffirm the existence of life in the silent world.

In the end, it was not a creature that broke the silence, but a mountain.

Mt. Gagazet began to cry.

The deep sobs were tremors in the earth. Tears of stone cascaded down its cliffs. A wail that echoed through Spira and rose high into the heavens cracked the silence that had paralyzed a world.

And while the great mountain wept, those who stood upon the Great Plains saw lights begin to rise behind it. They were invisible at first, impossible to see at all, but their number grew and grew until they set the horizon on fire with their glow. A phoenix rising from the ashes of Zanarkand.

"Pyreflies," someone murmered.

The multitude of glowing lights continued to rise, drifting upwards lazily, amassing in the sky like a tiny sun. It was a magnificent sight. All those privileged enough to gaze upon it began to feel once more some glimmer of hope. Some speck of something good that remained.

Except for one person.

"It isn't over," Majo whispered.

The sky bent.

Something snapped.

A million pyreflies screamed out in torment as a single pulsing entity of blackness followed them into the sky. The sky bent further, seeming to be sucked into the rising blackness. The glow of the pyreflies shimmered, disappearing, blinking in and out while being dragged forcefully into the darkness. The screeching of the pyreflies grew softer as they solidified and rotted, turning into a horrid, pulsating mass of twice-dead flesh.

The last pyrefly lost its glow and its voice, and what rested in the sky was no longer a phoenix, but something twisted and horrible, terrifying to look upon. But no one turned away. And no one spoke.

No one but one man.

"It's happened…" Majo stood, staring with dead eyes into the sky, trying to focus on the black beast that tainted the heavens. "It's happened…finally." Slowly, he began to walk, feet dragging as he made his way toward the battlefield, always staring toward the monster.

"Majo!" Kijo saw him leave. "What are you doing! Where are you going?!"

But Majo didn't slow. He continued his stumbling, shambling walk until he was standing in the very center of the Great Plains. Not a single soldier tried to stop him.

There, standing on the war torn earth of the Great Plains, Majo gazed up at the blackness of the monster and saw something. This was it. This is what he had been trying to put out of his mind all this time. This is what was causing him to lose his mind. This monstrosity is all he had left.

"This is too much."

A rumble began to build deep inside Majo. It began somewhere in his gut and rose steadily, pushing it's way up his chest and crawling up his throat until it peeled back his lips and leapt out in the form of a high, desperate laugh.

Majo laughed, and laughed. He laughed until his stomach hurt and his throat was raw. Tears sprang to his eyes and his legs gave way under him. He laughed until his brain stopped working and the thoughts of responsibility and death couldn't permeate the layer of insanity he was building.

"You see that?" Majo pointed to the dark blot in the sky. "Do you see what I see?"

Slowly, the soldiers standing on the battlefield turned away from the beast too look at the raving man who stood amongst them.

"When you look at that, do you see a monster? A terrible black beast? A fiend beyond all comprehension?" Majo laughed again and leaned back, sitting on his heels. "Is that what you see?

"Take a better look. All of you! Look closely! That thing that threatens to blot out the sun, to take away all the light and ruin Spira…it is no fiend. That thing…that fucking thing is our sin. Do you understand? All this damn fighting, all this killing, this _WHOLE FUCKING WAR_! All of that, summoned that thing!

"So don't turn your eyes away, because all of you are responsible for this, not just me! It's all our sin! Not just mine! Not just mine, dammit! And no one can call it my sin. _No one!_ Because you're the one's who killed! You're the ones who fucked up dammit! _YOU! _Not me! Not me. You fucking soldiers with your guns and your swords, well all that blood you are so proud of spilling helped raise that damn thing!"

Majo felt something grab onto the back of his robe, pulling him to his feet and whirling him around. The muddied face of a Zanarkand soldier was looking at him, his eyes a torrent of confused emotions. The soldier was frightened above all things. Trembling, he pulled a sword from his belt.

"Aha!" Majo shouted. "See! In the face of your own sin, you can't deal with it! You aren't capable of facing this sin! And so it begins again! Kill me, then another soldier, then another and every pyrefly that lifts from our corpses will fuel that sin!"

The soldier's face split into a wretched expression of anguish. He drew his blade back and closed his eyes, forcing tears to slip out and down the muddy skin. He said nothing as he thrust forward.

There was a thud and Majo saw the soldier fall to the side, crashing to the ground, his sword landing several feet away. He didn't try to get up, instead curling into a ball and shaking, his body wracked with sobs. When Majo turned back to see who had thrown the soldier, he felt a solid fist connect with his face.

His head shook crazily and his eyes focused in and out, trying to sort out what had happened. When the ground stopped spinning, he looked up again.

"What the fuck are you saying?"

Kijo glared stonily at Majo. His eyes were hard and cold like ice. His face was tight as he stared down at the mage.

"That thing is our sin?"

Majo tried to look away, but found he couldn't. Kijo's stare held him like a cage.

"That thing's our fault?"

Majo whimpered, the once-sturdy walls of growing insanity peeling away with every word from Kijo's mouth.

"Do you even know what you're saying?"

He didn't. He never had. He just wanted to say something, anything to keep the blame from himself.

"What the hell does it matter?"

Majo looked up in shock.

"What the hell does it matter what it is or whose fault it is?" Kijo gritted his teeth. "We can spend another thousand years arguing about who made that thing. We can spend another thousand years killing each other in an attempt to shift the blame to one side." He scratched his head. "Or…

"We can all just agree that it's there, and that it's gonna keep being here until we do something about it."

Majo stared at his friend blankly. What was he saying? Now that there's a monster in the sky, everyone is just going to be friends again? Unite under a common enemy? The notion brought a smile to Majo's lips. That was Kijo…always looking at the logical way to go about doing things. And maybe…maybe it would really work…

No.

No. Kijo was naïve. He had no idea what he was talking about. He believed in the impossible. It's a wonder he wasn't dead already, living in this world with ideals like that. Majo smiled again. How could he have ever put all his faith into this one man? No. Kijo had no idea what this truly meant.

"You're right."

Majo smiled a sad, mournful smile. The lie tasted bad in his mouth, but he let it out anyway.

"Of course I am," Kijo didn't smile, but nodded and reached out with his hand, helping Majo to his feet. "Now let's get you back to camp, I think I broke your nose."

Majo nodded and began walking back to camp. The lying hurt…he didn't like lying to him, but he couldn't accept what he had said yet. He couldn't deal with it all yet. As they walked, the hundreds of soldiers stared out past the grief-stricken Gagazet at what Majo had called, "their sin." Majo knew they understood.

They understood the magnitude of the monster in the sky; the monster that a mad king had created from the souls of a murdered city. Millions of souls, all crushed together by magic and the will-power of a madman. Lord Yevon had outdone himself.


	20. The Next Step

So here I am again, offering you another chapter of this ungodly story. This was one of the hardest parts to get through. Now we're on track to the finish. But, it might still take a while. Lucky for all of you, I'm on vacation and I'm bored, so if you give me the right incentive, I might get more done. I really just did this for Rikku, because it's been a long time and I thought, why not? Of course, I don't know if anyone remembers any of what's going on anymore, it's been so long. No matter. Here it is, chapter 19, the next step.

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Chapter 19

The Next Step

"What do you mean he's still in Bevelle?"

"Please, calm down, Lenne!"

"You left him there!" Lenne shrieked, struggling to get at Kijo. The man sat silently in the command tent, looking at the ground, emotionless. "How could you leave him there?" Lenne screamed through her tears. "I love him! He could be dead!" She stopped struggling and the guards holding her arms let go. "Oh god…oh god he might be dead." The summoner fell to her knees, small sobs causing her to shake. Tears fell from her eyes.

"He might be alive," Kijo said softly. He looked up at Lenne. His face was pale. "Lenne I…I had no…" Choice? No. He had a choice. He had chosen to leave Shuyin behind. "It was too dangerous to take him with me," Kijo finished lamely.

"Well I'm sorry to do this," from the other side of the tent, Lady Yunalesca interrupted. "But we need to focus on the bigger picture." She looked at Lenne, who remained silent, sobbing to herself. "I'm sorry for your loss Lenne, but we may have lost something much greater." With that, she turned her regal gaze on Majo. "Is it true. Are you certain beyond a shadow of a doubt that my fathe…Lord Yevon did…whatever it was you said?"

Majo sat beside Kijo, his face even paler than his friends. "Yes. Lord Yevon decided the war could not be won and used all the lives of Zanarkand to create the ultimate weapon." He looked at Lady Yunalesca. "I'm sorry, but your father orchestrated it all himself. No one else has that sort of power."

Lady Yunalesca remained silent. Her eyes were hard. She was an impressive leader, holding her calm like this.

"Then that thing…that…sinful weapon...can we use it?"

Kijo stood up quickly, pushing his chair back so fast that it clattered to the floor. "Are you insane?!"

"Kijo!" Majo shouted, appalled at his lack of respect.

"Shut up!" Kijo yelled, silencing Majo. "Lady Yunalesca, with all due respect, that _thing_ can't be used. I don't care if we could control it, do you realize what that is? It's the souls of everyone who lived in Zanarkand, crushed together like a bunch of…I don't even know, but it's wrong. It's like using the dead to fight for us. Can you honestly do that?"

Lady Yunalesca remained quiet, her icy gaze holding its own against Kijo's fiery stare. After a long time, she sighed.

"You are right. Now is not the time to think about the war."

"The war is over!" Kijo shouted.

"Do you think Bevelle will agree to that?"

"We don't know if we never try!"

"We've already send word to Bevelle. We've asked for a cease-fire," Zaon spoke up from beside his wife.

"And what did they say?" Kijo asked pleadingly.

There was a long silence. Lady Yunalesca was the one to break it.

"They refused."

"Then _surrender_!" Kijo screamed. "It's over! Zanarkand is gone and this war is the reason! What are we protecting!?"

Lady Yunalesca stood up, putting her hands on the table and glaring at Kijo.

"Our pride, commander Kijo!"

Kijo was silent. He looked at Lady Yunalesca, then to Majo, then Zaon, and finally down at Lenne.

"That's all?" He finally asked quietly.

"Is that not enough."

"No," Kijo said without hesitation. He turned and put a hand on Majo's shoulder. "I'm leaving. I'm going to appeal to Bevelle myself. Majo, are you coming with me?"

Majo looked up, his dark, sunken eyes glazed over. No one here knew the gravity of the situation. Zanarkand was gone. Bevelle was not willing to leave them be. But more than anything else, that sinful weapon could not be controlled. It would destroy everything in the world. There was no escape. But no one would believe him if he said anything. Yunalesca's ridiculous pride would never let her believe that.

"What aren't you telling us, Majo?"

Majo snapped back to the moment to find Kijo looking him in the eye. Leave it to Kijo to see through him. Majo nearly laughed.

"That sinful thing can't be controlled. Not by anyone. It's not a weapon of Zanarkand. It's the enemy of every living thing in the whole world. It needs to be destroyed."

"That thing is still my father," Lady Yunalesca said coldly. "I can speak with it. I can control it."

"No one can. You're fooling yourself. It will need to be destroyed, but nothing in the world can do that."

A smile spread over Kijo's face. It was a complex expression. Hope and hopelessness all mixed into one with fear and excitement all packed in as well.

"There is something," he said quietly. Then he clapped his hands. "Lady Yunalesca!" he said excitedly. "Do whatever you wish, though I suggest you leave Zanarkand be, nothing we can do and there's nothing there for us now. As for me, I'm resigning. I'm going to Bevelle. And I'm taking these two with me." He motioned toward Lenne and Majo.

"I can't allow that," Lady Yunalesca said coldly.

"I'm sorry. I wish you the best, honestly. But you're not my Lady anymore. There's not Zanarkand, and you're not in charge of me. I'm truly sorry. Now let us go. We don't want any trouble."

Lady Yunalesca's eyes flashed and she raised her arm. "Ifrit." There was a flash of fire and darkness.

"Lenne, Majo! Run!" Kijo shouted.

"What for?" Lenne sobbed. "Why should I go with you?"

"Because we're going to Bevelle. And we're going to save your boyfriend while we're there."

The fire and darkness surrounded them entirely and Kijo could hear a howling sound. He felt something grab his hand and looked down to see Lenne holding onto him.

"Then let's go." And they were out of the tent.

Majo sat inside, as the flames rose higher and the howling grew louder. His heart was pounding. Everything was changing. Absolutely everything. Zanarkand was gone, Yunalesca was attacking them. Kijo had resigned. But still, that man was in motion. Always moving forward. This was exactly how he was, how he'd always been.

But it was a lie. It couldn't last. It couldn't. Majo knew this. The world was changing too rapidly. Everyone would be lost in the chaos. And if not, their sin would destroy them. It was over.

But his blood was boiling. His legs were tense. His body was aching to follow Lenne and Kijo. He could feel himself splitting apart. Live in the lie? Or give up on it? Something grabbed his shoulder.

"Let's go!" Kijo shouted.

Majo was up and out of the tent just as Ifrit materialized. The three of them were running. They made it out of the camp and to the front battlements. Behind them, the sound of Ifrit's pounding gait was closing in.

"Lenne! We can't outrun it! Do something!" Kijo screamed.

"Me?" Lenne shouted back in disbelief.

"You're the summoner!"

"Alright!" Lenne's hand pointed out in front of them. There was a surge of power and then… "Bahamut!"

The air condensed above their heads and the clouds parted. High in the air, the great dragon Bahamut flew down at a breakneck pace.

"Everyone jump when I say so!" Lenne shouted. "And hold on!"

"You're serious?" Kijo yelled incredulously. "Oh I like you, Lenne. One hell of a sense of style!"

Behind them, Ifrit was gaining quickly, but Bahamut tore past him, flying at an incredible speed.

"Jump!"

All three jumped just as Bahamut came screaming under them, They grabbed on as hard as they could and he was up again, soaring above the ground, out of the range of Ifrit's fire.

"Haha!" Kijo laughed. "Brilliant!" He looked over the edge of Bahamut's wings to see the ground flying by beneath them. "Yunalesca won't follow us. We're in the clear!"

Majo looked over the side as well, staring out toward Bevelle. "We're not actually, Kijo."

"What do you mean? Bevelle should be on low level alert after that thing appeared and we asked for the cease fire. What do you mean?"

"Look. It's a different kind of anti-air defense than usual."

Kijo turned his attention toward Bevelle to see a large creature soaring through the sky straight toward them. It snaked through the clouds like a great snake and as it grew closer he could make out green smoke trailing from what looked like a large beak.

"What the hell is that? Some kind of Valefor?" Kijo asked Lenne, not turning away from the creature.

"Don't insult the aeons," Lenne responded harshly. "That's not Valefor. It's not any sort of aeon."

"Then what the hell is it?" Kijo yelled. It was getting closer, and more and more aspects of it appeared to be dangerous.

"The reason we didn't just fly our aeons into Bevelle in the first place," Lenne said, her eyes narrowing. "Bevelle's heavenly beast, Evrae."


End file.
